“PehniKya?” is a question being
asked in Hindi language which in its literal translation means “Have you worn?”,
referring to a seat belt in a car. The #PehniKya? flash mob sports India’s
first-ever seatbelt song - a catchy, appealing jingle designed to create a
lasting impact on the critical importance of the seat belt. The lyrics have
been kept simple and catchy.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PEHNIKYA
SONG
Motown India too has in the
past been spreading the awareness on seat belts and has actually captured a video showing how many Indian drivers and their co passengers prefer not to
wear a seat belt while driving.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
: Why Do Indians Hate Safety Belts? | Special Feature | Motown India
As for the Maruti flash mob
music, the foot tapping number is a mix of Indian and Western music to appeal
to a wide range of audiences especially youth. Maruti Suzuki has partnered with
The Danceworx, led by famous choreographer Ashley Lobo, for a signature dance
routine to be performed to the song. The flash mob performance will take place
thrice a day throughout the duration of the Auto Expo.
At special pledge booths in
the venue, visitors can fasten on the seat belt, take the pledge, share their
selfies on social media and stand a chance to win special #PehniKya? branded
cozy. Through this, Maruti Suzuki hopes to encourage car users, especially
youth, to wear seat belts and contribute to make India’s roads safer.
R. S. Kalsi, Sr. Executive
Director, Marketing and Sales, MSIL, said, “We are encouraged by the huge
popularity of our #PehniKya? social campaign to promote seat belt usage among
car occupants. The 360 campaign is designed to address the key factors for not
wearing the seat belt which emerged from our national survey of car users.”
He added, “Auto Expo, with its
vast scope and exposure, gives us the perfect opportunity to reach out to car
enthusiasts, especially youth. The special flash mob, around #PehniKya? is
intended to rally masses into action with a new vigour. Through the flash mob
we want to spread awareness about seat belt in a fun and engaging way.”
The #PehniKya? campaign was
kicked off in November, 2017 wherein Maruti Suzuki released some insightful
data on road-user behavior and their attitude towards wearing seat belts. The
data was accumulated from research and surveys conducted in 17 key cities, to
assess the awareness levels and understand the challenges in the sparse usage
of seat belts in the country. Seat belts
bring down the risk of fatality by upto 50% in the event of a crash (WHO). As
more and more passenger vehicles come equipped with airbags to meet advanced
safety norms laid down by the government, the use of seat belt becomes even
more critical for safety. If an occupant is not wearing a seat belt, an airbag
may cause more harm in the event of a crash.