Toyota Kirloskar Motor encourages young masterminds to develop digital solutions for Road Safety Mission
[Conducts a first-of-its-kind Hackathon for school children on Road Safety]
- Received more than 600 entries from 1200 students, 50 + schools of Grades 9th – 12th from schools across Bangalore
- For the second year in a row, TKM conducts the Road Safety Hackathon in association with Indian Road Safety Campaign [IRSC – a Trust, formed by alumni of IIT Delhi]
- With an intent to nurture the ideas of young minds, Toyota invites students to ‘Code for Safer India’ driving the mission of road safety with an ultimate goal of achieving “Zero Fatality”
- The first edition of the Toyota Hackathon took place in New Delhi last year and witnessed participation from over 300 teams
Bangalore, 26th November 2019–Aligning with Toyota’s global commitment to offer innovative Safety solutions, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) conceptualized and organized Toyota Hackathon on Road Safety at RV College of Engineering. Students from Grade 9th to 12thparticipated in this intense challenge to develop brainstorming solutions in support of the National Mission “Zero Fatality”. Through this initiative, TKM aims to provide a platform to encourage, motivate and engage young talents to be more aware of road safety challenges and be responsible safety ambassadors by developing effective digital road safety solutions. While this is the second edition of the Hackathon, the first edition took place in New Delhi in December 2018.
The event witnessed the presence of Mr. C Mallikarjun, Joint Transport Commissioner, Bangalore, Mr. Amit Kumar Saroha, Paralympian, Asian Para Games medalist & Arjun Awardee, Mr. Naveen Soni, Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Government officials and senior members from TKM. The top performers of the Hackathon were selected by eminent jury members comprising of Media, Academicians, Corporates, Government Representatives, Enforcement Agencies (Police) and Toyota experts. The top ten and the best three were awarded trophies and cash prizes. Consolation prizes were also given out to motivate the participants for their great participation spirit and churning such smart solutions for road safety challenges.
The event was organized in prestigious RV College, Bangalore. The college has extended dedicated support to Toyota providing volunteers, mentors and campus facility for conducting the Hackathon.
In the initial stage of the Hackathon program, a basic online test was conducted for the 600 teams. A three-phase screening process were undertaken to shortlist the best 50 teams for the onsite hackathon. These top 50 teams were trained on key technical skills coupled with mentoring from industry experts. Further, each team was allotted 36 hours to work on their ideas and develop a prototype on road safety solution, which were put on display as part of an Exhibition. TKM will build this further by incubating and nurturing these implementable solutions in support of the road safety cause.
Sharing his thoughts on this unique program, Mr. Bhaskar Rao, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bangalore, said, “Around 149,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads in 2018 alone. India accounts for about 2% of motor vehicles globally, yet it’s responsible for more than 11% of road traffic deaths. Road accidents not only cause loss of lives but also deeply impact socio-economic condition of the country. The dangers on the road impacts everyone and hence is a vital topic of discussion everywhere. Children are one of the worst victims of road accidents and it is important we educate school children to prioritize road safety to ensure responsible future generation. It gives me immense pleasure to witness these young budding talents participate in this competitive platform to be the real change agent in addressing the national drive on road safety. It is really great that safety leaders like Toyota have come forward to create such a brilliant platform for young minds to develop innovative solutions to make Indian roads more safe. We would request more corporates to collaborate with Government to make mobility more safer and reliable”
Commenting on the initiative, Guest of Honor for the event, Mr. Amit Kumar Saroha, Paralympian, Asian Para Games medalist & Arjun Awardee, said, “Road traffic injuries have been the eighth leading cause of deaths in India in 2018. Minors involved in road crash deaths were at 6.6% of the total deaths. Road Traffic Accidents have a significant social and economic impact on the individual, family and the society. It is very important that we promote Road Safety Education in school curriculum to educate the children on right road safety habits and the importance of following correct road practices at an early age. It is a privilege to associate with Toyota for the Start Your Impossible campaign, an organization known for its safety leadership globally. I am delighted to be present in this unique platform to motivate these young change makers who are developing such out of the box solutions to enhance road safety in India. We have to be serious about the critical situation of road safety now to ensure safer roads for the young generation tomorrow. This Road Safety Hackathon is an effective and fun way to engage children in making a change.”
