Zuno General Insurance (formerly Edelweiss General Insurance) has reintroduced its road safety awareness initiative, “Talking Zebra Returns,” as part of its Road Safety Month activities. The campaign focuses on recognising commuters who follow traffic rules and will be conducted at traffic signals with high footfall in select cities across India.
The initiative aligns with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) Road Safety Awareness Month and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s (IRDAI) directive encouraging insurers to promote road safety awareness.
Through Talking Zebra Returns, Zuno aims to recognise commuters who follow traffic rules and practise responsible road behaviour. The initiative also links to the company’s SmartDrive campaign, ‘Good Drivers Choose Zuno’, which promotes safe driving practices.
The activation began on Tuesday, 20 January, and will run through the month at selected traffic signals in eight cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Goa and Guntur.
This year, the Talking Zebra will be accompanied by a mime artist who will demonstrate road safety practices such as stopping before the zebra line, wearing helmets, waiting for traffic signals and giving way to pedestrians.
Commenting on the initiative, Shanai Ghosh, MD & CEO, Zuno General Insurance said, “At Zuno, we believe that road safety is a shared responsibility, and that positive reinforcement can be a powerful nudge towards better driving behaviour. Over the years, we’ve built initiatives that go beyond awareness from on-ground movements like Talking Zebra to product innovations like our mobile telematics-led Zuno SmartDrive car insurance, which rewards safe and responsible drivers. We aim to go beyond awareness and actively shape driving behaviour in the country. Through this initiative, we want to celebrate good drivers and encourage others to join them too, making Indian roads safer”.
India continues to record high levels of road accidents and fatalities. The “India Status Report on Road Safety 2024” by the TRIP Centre at IIT Delhi notes limited progress in reducing road accident fatalities. The report states that while in 1990 an Indian was 40% more likely to die in a road accident compared with Sweden, by 2021 the risk had increased to nearly six times.
According to the Road Accidents in India Report (2022), there were 4,61,312 road crashes, resulting in 1,68,491 fatalities and 4,43,366 injuries. This translates to an average of 53 crashes and 92 deaths every hour. Global data indicates that India records the highest number of road accidents worldwide.
Zuno is also linking road safety awareness with product features. Its Zuno SmartDrive motor insurance includes a crash-detection capability that uses smartphone telematics through the Zuno app to detect accidents, alert support teams and initiate assistance and claims.
Ketan Mankikar, Head Marketing & Communications, Zuno General Insurance said, “The Talking Zebra has never been just a campaign for us. It’s a platform we’ve been building to keep road safety part of everyday conversation. Last year, it helped us start that conversation. This year, with Talking Zebra Returns, we’re taking it forward by recognising and celebrating good drivers who follow traffic rules. By adding positive reinforcement, humour, and simple human moments at traffic signals, we’re turning everyday behaviour into something visible and aspirational. When people see good driving being noticed, it naturally encourages more of it. That’s the kind of brand-led behaviour change we believe in.”
The campaign will also be supported through partnerships with radio channels and amplification on Zuno General Insurance’s social media platforms.
.jpg)
