MUMBAI: Zuno General Insurance, formerly known as Edelweiss General Insurance, a new-age digital insurer, has launched a road safety awareness initiative, ‘The Talking Zebra’ to educate motorists and pedestrians about the importance of following traffic rules.
This initiative, running till 25 Jan is part of Zuno General Insurance’s commitment to promote responsible driving habits for safer roads and aligns with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) declaration of January as Road Safety Month. Through the Talking Zebra Campaign, Zuno aims to amplify the national focus on reducing road accidents and fostering a culture of responsible road usage.
The Talking Zebra campaign is an initiative that features a witty and interactive Zebra that is brought to life at traffic signals. As part of the campaign, a promoter dressed as a zebra—the very embodiment of zebra crossings—will interact with people at busy traffic signals. in six cities – Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The mascot will interact with drivers and pedestrians, using wit, and humour to make road safety a topic that everyone wants to talk about and a real concern. The Talking Zebra will remind everyone to ‘Keep your cool, follow traffic rules’ while promoting essential practices like respecting zebra crossings, stopping at red lights, and avoiding jaywalking.
Shanai Ghosh, MD, CEO, Zuno General Insurance said, “Road safety is a critical and shared responsibility, and at Zuno we are committed to launching initiatives that create lasting, positive change. The Talking Zebra campaign is our unique way of blending education with entertainment to encourage positive behaviour on the streets, both for the driving community and pedestrians. We have also gone a step beyond awareness by using rewards to influence behavioural change with our telematics-based Pay-How-You-Drive (PHYD), that incentivises good driving behaviour with discounts on the car insurance premium. By participating in PHYD, drivers will be encouraged to adopt safer practices, ultimately contributing to safer roads, fewer accidents, and reduced fatalities across India.”
Every year, India sees a high number of pedestrian accidents, often caused by reckless drivers who ignore traffic rules and zebra crossings. Kolkata too witnessed around 15% increase in accidents in the last five years, pedestrian safety remains a major concern due to factors such as heavy traffic, non-compliance with traffic regulations, and inadequate enforcement of safety measures like zebra crossings. The “India Status Report on Road Safety 2024,” by the TRIP Centre at IIT Delhi, highlights India’s slow progress in reducing road accident fatalities. Despite advances in other sectors, road traffic injuries remain a major public health issue, and most states are unlikely to meet the UN’s goal of halving traffic deaths by 2030. Comparing India to road safety leaders like Sweden, the report shows that while in 1990, an Indian was 40% more likely to die in a road accident, by 2021 this figure had risen to 600%.
The Annual Report on Road Accidents in India available till (2022) recorded 4,61,312 crashes marginally low by 1% in the last five years, leading to 1,68,491 fatalities and 4,43,366 injuries. On an average, India experiences 53 crashes and 92 deaths per hour. According to global data, India witnesses the highest number of road accidents in the world.
Ketan Mankikar, head, VP Marketing & Communications, Zuno General Insurance said, “The Talking Zebra is more than just a campaign; it’s a conversation starter, it’s a movement to inspire everyone to follow traffic rules and make roads safer. By using wit and humor, we aim to make safety more relatable, memorable, and ultimately, impactful. With a sense of humour and originality, “The Talking Zebra” hopes to leave an impression on drivers that will lead to behavioural change. As a brand that stands for being easy, breezy, and surely, we are excited to bring this concept to life and see how it sparks a positive change on the roads.”
The campaign looks to address pedestrian safety issues by introducing innovative and creative concepts that apply to both drivers and walkers.
To maximise the campaign’s reach and impact, Zuno General Insurance has partnered with popular radio channel Red FM, allowing ‘The Talking Zebra’s’ voice to amplify the message across airwaves. Zuno General Insurance has also taken the campaign to the public encouraging them to join the movement on social media with hashtags #TalkingZebra, #RespectTheStripes, and #StayCoolFollowRules.
