Mumbai: If you are living in any big megalopolis in India, the odds of you witnessing or even being subjected to rash driving or lawlessness on the roads is pretty high. Be it a two-wheeler or four or even the bulkier ones, each one seems to be in some hurry or the other to reach a destination of their choice with little regard to traffic rules & pedestrian safety. From jumping the red light, to ignoring traffic signs, to over-speeding and lane cutting, virtually every rule in the book is broken when it comes to driving across major roads in India.
In a unique experiment, Renault India partnered with its creative agency Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi, and decided to monitor the driving habits of motorists across a few important locations. The team installed cameras across key sites and monitored the traffic violations that took place every hour. This experiment was limited to the cities of Mumbai & New Delhi, usually the hub when it comes to evaluating driving patterns of people on the roads.
Titled ‘Who are India’s Worst Drivers?’, the experiment throws the spotlight on a cross-section of vehicle owners spanning bikes, auto-rickshaws, taxis, buses, trucks, etc. Each owner is seen presenting their own assessment on who are the worst driverson the road with hardly anyone pointing a finger to him/herself. The experiment threw up startling findings that showed there are almost 110 traffic violations per signal / per hour. The initiative further goes on to educate viewers to maintain road discipline and urges them to become agents of change via #RespectTheRoad.
Commenting on the initiative, Virat Khullar, Vice President and Head of Marketing, Renault India said: “Renault stands for ‘Passion for life’ which in a way means easy life for our customers. But for an easy life with cars, one important aspect is to follow the rules defined for driving these cars on road. In India we all face huge traffic issues and true to our nature, all externalise the fault. This campaign is an attempt to portray reality that the traffic situation can only improve if we change ourselves and respect the road.”
Sharing his views, Charles Victor, Executive Director,L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: “This initiative – Driving Smiles, is a wonderful initiative by Renault where we try and give back to the world we sell to. From lighting up villages during Diwali to lighting up smiles at an orphanage during Christmas, the initiative has always tried to take a step towards change. What better change to expect than to change the way Indians drive. This little social experiment aimed at showing us that the change needs to begin with us.”
A two part series, the film shave been launched only on the digital platform and serves as an educational tool. While the first film questions people on who are the traffic offenders, the second film goes on provide answers to the questions and how we all need to become agents of change.
To view the films, click here:
Asking the question:
Answering the question:
Team Credits:
Client: Renault India
Team: Virat Khullar, Hardik Shah, KautukMalviya
Agency: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi
Creative: Kartik Smetacek, Thomas George
Client Servicing: Jay Mehta, Shazia Shaikh
Planning: Snehasis Bose, Ankur Kapoor
Production House: Prodigious
Director: Gaurav Gandhi
