Road safety campaign held for Chennai schoolchildren on importance of wearing helmets

Apollo Shine Foundation launched 'Helmets for Kids' campaign in schools to raise awareness on road safety. P.K. Sekar Babu, T.N. Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments, Harshad Reddy, Director, Apollo Shine Foundation & Upendra Kinjawadekar, National President, Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) unveiled the campaign. It focused on the need to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers & aimed to create an impact at individual & community levels. Apollo Shine Foundation also signed an MoU with IAP to promote awareness on lifestyle diseases & encourage healthy choices among children.

In an effort to raise awareness about road safety among children, the Apollo Shine Foundation launched a ‘Helmets for Kids’ campaign in schools.

The campaign was unveiled by P.K. Sekar Babu, T.N. Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments in the presence of Harshad Reddy, Director, Apollo Shine Foundation and Upendra Kinjawadekar, National President, Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) at the culmination of the initiative, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

The Minister said the campaign for children was an example that every rider must follow.

Centered around the message on the need to always wear a helmet while riding a two-wheeler, a team from the Foundation visited a host of schools, gave students child helmets and held educational sessions to raise awareness around the cause, as part of the initiative.

“Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85%. We have attempted to bring together a range of stakeholders such as parents, teachers, students, physicians and government to deliver this message and create an impact that can be felt at the individual and community levels,” said Mr. Reddy.

The Apollo Shine Foundation also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IAP at the event. The Academy’s Sankalp Sampoorna Swathsya campaign focuses on raising awareness against non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension among children, said Dr. Kinjawadekar. 

The MoU will promote awareness on lifestyle diseases and encourage healthy choices among children, said Indira Jayakumar, medical director of the Apollo Shine Foundation.