• Twenty schools in Bangalore to be covered in 2007-08
• In all, 20,000 children between 6 and 13 years to be covered
• Six initiatives that educate even as they entertain

The Toyota Safety Education Programme (TSEP) - Road Safety; My right, My responsibility, which will be held over five days in select schools. This is an interactive course specially developed for school students for imparting traffic safety awareness. In involves participating children in computer games, manning informative traffic booths, interactive traffic safety sessions, animation films and an exciting participatory mobile traffic park.

A first of its kind, the Programme reinforces Toyota's commitment in developing the community through social contribution activities and as a fundamental responsibility as an automobile company will work together to promote activities in the Asia region focusing on "traffic safety and the environment."

Honorable Transport Minister, Government of Karnataka Mr N.Chaluvurayaswamy, formally launched the Toyota Safety Education Programme today. Bangalore City Commissioner of Police N. Achuta Rao released the TSEP material. Commissioner of Transport, Government of Karnataka Mr M. C. Narayana Gowda launched the TSEP website.

The TSEP initiative is implemented by Anchorage, a Bangalore-based NGO. Mr K. Yamada, General Manager, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, in a symbolic gesture handed over a commemorative key to Ms Surbhi Sharma of Anchorage that is implementing the programme.

Sharing details of the programme, Mr. Atsushi Toyoshima, Managing Director, TKM, said, "Toyota is committed to the safety of people and knows that early education can go a long way towards keeping road users safe. This new program from Toyota is designed to create awareness amongst children through a unique combination of interactive tutorials and play exercises."

The various initiatives under this programme are as follows:

The Mobile Traffic Park, which aims at educating children about traffic safety by live demonstration and participation, uses 25 traffic signs and 12 pedal cars, which children can drive on a makeshift road. Aimed at children between six and nine years old, more than 600 children will receive the road safety message in each school under the programme. During the year, 12,000 children will get the training at the traffic parks, which will be set up by Toyota at their schools. Instructions during the five-day programme at each school will be given in English and Kannada.

The Traffic Safety Interactive Course aims at educating children between 10 and 13 years using the classroom methodology. The 45 - minute instruction sessions will be held during either the social studies or moral science schedules of schools and will cover 500 children in each school in the first year. It will cover various aspects of traffic safety, basic road signals and road sense.

Targeting 1000 children in each school during the regular school assembly, the Animation Film activity aims to use a popular mass medium to get the message of road safety across to students in the 6-13 years age bracket. The seven-minute film will be in English and Kannada languages.

To ensure active participation by school children in the 6-13 years age bracket, the Traffic Booth initiative at schools aims at cover 1000 children in each school. The booth will be manned by a coordinator and will publicize messages on road safety and distribute T - shirts and caps to students who give correct answers.

www.tsepindia.com: Toyota is also developing a microsite aimed at updating the media and general public on details of the Toyota Safety Education Programme. The website in English will also allow downloads of reading material and educational wall paper and offer sign-up details.

A Computer Game on Traffic Safety using virtual simulation to educate children between 6 and 13 years of age will be used to train children to adhere to traffic rules during the game session. The game session of 8 - 10 minutes duration will have an instructor and will cover 1200 children in each school.

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