A certificate of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Private Limited road safety training is mandatory for obtaining driving licence for two-wheelers.

The transport department has given the exclusive rights to the private firm to conduct safety awareness training programmes in the Coimbatore zone.

Under the new directive of the Coimbatore transport department, Honda 2Wheelers India’s road safety awareness training will now be required for any individual who wishes to apply for permanent driving licence in the zone comprising Coimbatore, Tirupur and the Nilgiris districts. This is aimed at enhancing road safety education. New applications for permanent driving licence will now be considered by the Regional Transport Office on enclosure of the training completion certificate.

This follows the awareness campaign the company undertook along with the city police covering more than 11,000 people in nine months after patronising the revamped Children’s Traffic Park.

The training module covers development of road skills, knowledge of speed limit and correct overtaking, basic understanding of two-wheelers, Motor Vehicle Act, understanding road signs and markings, ill-effects of drunken driving and how to enhance a rider’s mental attitude.

The programme will be conducted from Mondays to Saturdays from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Children’s Traffic Park near PRS Ground.

City Police Commissioner Dr A Amalraj said, “Keeping the roads safe is the responsibility of all citizens, more so two-wheeler riders. The training given for new riders at Children’s Traffic Park will help them enjoy the joy of riding two-wheelers safely. I appreciate the involvement and professionalism of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India and the transport department in making this initiative a success.”

Joint Transport Commissioner Thiru P Muruganandham said, “Tamil Nadu has the highest accident rate in India and most of the victims are youngsters riding two-wheelers. To reduce the accident rate, Coimbatore Police associated with Honda 2Wheelers India in January 2017 and provided facilities to give road safety training to all two-wheeler riders. Looking at Honda’s effective training through trained instructors in spreading road safety awareness, we will insist on Honda’s certificate for new applicants. By adopting this procedure, the police and transport departments feel accident rates can be reduced to a greater extent in the city.”

Honda Senior Vice-President Sales Yadvinder Singh Guleria said, “Till date, we have spread road safety awareness to over 13 lakh Indians and adopted 11 traffic parks across India. Honda has already spread road safety awareness to over 11,000 people including women and children at the Coimbatore park. This is first time in the country that a two-wheeler company’s training module has been recognised by the State Transport Department for new licence application.”