MobileKids has been here in India since 2018. A lot of children in Indian cities either walk or cycle to school, so it's really important that we show kids at an early age how to cope on the roads. And the traffic here can certainly be chaotic sometimes!
Meanwhile, 100 schools with more than 15,000 students are taking part in MobileKids – that makes me so happy! Children studying in classes 4, 5 and 6 even have MobileKids lessons as part of their timetable, learning from some really dedicated teachers about how to cope safely in traffic, whether they travel by bus, train, bike or on foot.
But here in Bangalore, it's not just about swotting for the MobileKids tests at school. With me – Moki – they can experience a whole range of activities: thanks to the cooperation between Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India and the Bangalore Traffic Police, Fire Department and other such bodies, they get some really exciting insight into traffic control centres, fire stations and so on!
I've recently visited 20 schools in India on a very particular mission. Working with staff from Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India (MBRDI) and the students themselves, we took a really close look at the infrastructure surrounding these schools: we wanted to find out what we can do to improve road safety around the school sites. Thanks to their MobileKids lessons, these bright young students very quickly identified the areas where improvements still need to be made to the traffic infrastructure in the approach to their schools.
The involvement of the children and of the MBRDI definitely paid off: we are proud to say that 450 potholes have been repaired, 200 traffic signs, along with reflective road markers and safety mirrors have been installed around the schools to make the roads safer for children! At this year's big annual MobileKids event in India, the management team of the MBRDI expressed their thanks for the schools' involvement – the students should be very proud of themselves!
Together with Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India, we are hoping to extend our MobileKids programme in India over the next few years. More schools in Bangalore & Pune will become "Safe School Zones" – with help from Moki and, of course, from the youngsters themselves at the various schools. Here's to improved road safety in India!
Moki is the mascot of MobileKids.