MUMBAI: Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Reliance Capital, has launched a digital campaign to raise public awareness on the safety of pillion riders on two-wheelers.

Titled #FaceThePace, the campaign urges pillion riders to wear a helmet when on the road and highlights the need for children riding pillion on motorbikes and scooters.

As per estimates, nearly 16,000 children die in road accidents every year, making 10.5 per cent of all road accident fatalities. This boils down to over 43 child deaths a day due to road accidents, a number that is seven times more than deaths due to crimes against children.

In a bid to raise awareness of the problem, the company’s campaign highlights the consequences of pillion riders not wearing a helmet. Even though stricter laws and initiatives in the last few years have increased the number of two-wheeler drivers wearing a helmet, the number of pillion riders not wearing a helmet is still staggeringly high, at 75 per cent, as reported by nationwide surveys. To address the issue, traffic police in various states of the country have been taking measures such as stricter monitoring and increased number of tickets.

Through #FaceThePace the company is taking to popular digital and social media channels to share its message. At the centre of the digital campaign is a short film that uses the analogy of a batsman and wicket-keeper on a cricket playing field to deliver the message.

Reliance General Insurance chief executive officer Rakesh Jain says, “India loses thousands of lives in road accidents every year. We think it is vital to address this issue in a way that has not been done before. And we believe this film does exactly that. The cricket analogy in the film is something most Indians will relate to, owing to the popularity of the game in the country.”

In addition to the digital campaign, RGI is also distributing thousands of free helmets to riders around the country. The company has launched several initiatives for road safety in the past and will continue to raise awareness on such issues of grave social concern.