Road transport ministry signs Aamir Khan as safety ambassador, another pro bono role

NEW DELHI: Aamir Khan could soon be asking drivers not to get behind the wheel if they’ve imbibed too heavily or admonishing them to slow down. The Bollywood star has been signed by the road transport ministry as its safety ambassador as the government looks to lower the accident rate and rein in dangerous driving.

This is not Khan’s first partnership with the government in such public initiatives on a pro bono basis. He’s also engaged in the Atithi Devo Bhava campaign with the tourism ministry. Khan met road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday for his new role and a formal announcement is likely soon. The actor recently anchored an episode on road accidents on his Satyamev JayateTV show, in which shared his personal experience of helping a road accident victim.

About four years ago, Khan featured in a motorcycle commercial in which he urges people to drive safely rather than recklessly. “Aamir carries an amount of credibility and his sincerity is noticed. An honest effort in the messaging should get success,” said Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director, Ogilvy and Mather India. Nearly five lakh accidents occur every year in India of which 25% result in fatalities or about 1.4 lakh deaths, according to road ministry statistics.

Bad design, inadequate pedestrian crossings, shoddy construction and maintenance, lack of service lanes and the rampant violation of traffic rules have led to a deadly situation on Indian roads. The road ministry estimates that the GDP growth would get a 4% boost if the efficiency and safety of road transport could be increased.

More than two lakh lives would be saved in the first five years if this were the case due to the reduction in road accident deaths, the ministry estimates. The government is also taking steps to rein in ads that glamourise high-speed driving.