For over two decades, he helped corporates and government departments promote road safety through advertisements designed by his firm. Noel A. Kanagaraj, managing trustee, Indian Road Safety and Welfare Trust, has now taken up the role of a writer to educate the public about road rules.
He has written a guide book Learner’s Basic Safety Driving Theory . Launched last month, the book is available at leading bookstores in the city.
“ Only through awareness can we make our roads safer. So, I decided to write the book,” says the resident of Egmore and chairman of the Noel Group of Companies.
This is Noel’s second book. “My first book was for seniors — Flowers of Paradise . I did not market it much,” says 63-year-old Kanagaraj.
The guide book is an outcome of his travels to various countries. “In Australia, road safety is a continuous programme. Children are taught road safety through humour, games and films. Retired staff are enrolled by the police department as road safety consultants,” says Kanagaraj. The work on the book started a few years ago. “Last year, we gave nearly 150 copies of the book to Motor Vehicle inspectors in the state, so that they could reach out to driving schools to adopt the guidebook as syllabus material and train the learners and drivers on theoretical aspects,” says Kanagaraj.
It offers information about basic road rules and regulations, causes of accidents, penalties for traffic violations and licensing procedures.
“Nearly 10 lakh driving licences are issued every year by the state. If every driver improves his knowledge and obeys traffic rules and regulations, there will be a dramatic reduction in the number of accidents. We want every new driver to take a quiz complied at the end of the book,” says Kanagaraj.
He is now working on a resource book for IAS aspirants. He says the Trust will be conducting seminars for driving schools and for others who are interested. The 100 page book, available in English and Tamil, is priced at Rs. 200. For details, visit www.indianroadsafety.org.in or call 98410 77790.
