IIT Madras Partners with Ford

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has partnered with Ford. The institute's Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) has joined hands. The purpose of the initiative is to train the next generation of drivers. The effort comes after the increasing number of road accidents involving young drivers.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by CoERS and Ford . It was signed at the IIT Madras campus on August 30, 2024

under this programme, thousands of students from over 240 schools situated in Tamil Nadu will be provided with essential road safety knowledge and skills. Master trainers will teach them , the focus will be on practical training, highlighting the importance of responsible drivers on the road .
Moreover, the students will be trained through the programme will impact other training programmes in their schools and traffic jurisdictions. The aim is to create multiplier effects on the driving practice , hazard awareness and traffic rules.

Apart from students , the capacity building training sessions will be conducted for teachers, traffic wardens and traffic police personnel on road safety
The Press release also mentioned about investing in the education of young drivers , the goal is to reduce accidents and create a safer future for road users.

Talking about the initiative, IIT Madras Director Prof. V Kamakoti highlighted that engaging the younger generation in the initiative is crucial for fostering a culture of safety on the roads.

“We have previously worked on improving driver behavior, and through this initiative, we aim to sensitize the younger generation—the drivers of tomorrow—towards safer driving practices,” Prof Kamakoti said.

Sreenivasan Janakiraman, the CSR Head of Ford spoke on the collaboration and sated, the focus is on empowering educators to foster a culture of road safety, ultimately ensuring that the students and the young riders are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate the roads safely.

“This collaboration with CoERS, IIT Madras to inculcate Activity Based Learning Pedagogy helps nurture the next generation of safe drivers,” Janakiraman added.