Prayagraj — In a major road safety initiative, SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), in collaboration with Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited, inaugurated a comprehensive School Zone Safety Treatment at JBS Public School in Prayagraj. The initiative has been implemented under SLF’s Zero Fatality District (ZFD) Programme, aimed at systematically preventing road crash deaths.
Following the launch, SLF conducted a multi-stakeholder school zone safety walkthrough involving government partners, enforcement agencies, corporate representatives, school authorities, and community members to review the on-ground interventions and assess their effectiveness.
The School Zone Safety Treatment at JBS Public School is the latest intervention under the ZFD Programme in Prayagraj. The programme follows a data-driven, systems-based approach in partnership with district authorities to reduce road crash fatalities. It focuses on engineering risk reduction, strengthened enforcement, improved post-crash emergency response, and institutional and community capacity building. The ZFD framework has been developed with support from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, and is being scaled across 100 high-risk districts identified through a Composite Road Crash Severity Index.
The intervention addresses critical safety gaps on Rewa Road (NH-30) near the school. Ground assessments and community consultations identified several hazards, including the absence of school-zone signage, uncontrolled vehicular speeds, poor lighting, lack of road markings, unsafe crossings, missing median crash barriers, absence of footpaths, and roadside encroachments. These conditions significantly increased risks for school children and other vulnerable road users.
To mitigate these risks, SLF and Tata AIG developed an evidence-based engineering treatment package under CSR. The design focuses on speed management, improved visibility, and safer pedestrian movement. Key measures include horizontal road markings, rumble strips, clearly visible school-zone signage with blinkers, dedicated pedestrian pathways and cycle lanes separated from the main carriageway with bollards, structured pick-up and drop-off zones, directional arrows for traffic guidance, and installation of a Vehicle Activated Speed Sign (VASS) that provides real-time speed feedback to drivers, encouraging immediate compliance and preventive speed management.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Prayagraj, Neeraj Kumar Pandey, emphasized the importance of prioritizing school zones. “Children’s safety in school areas must be accorded the highest priority in district road safety planning. This scientific and structured intervention near JBS Public School demonstrates that data-led engineering improvements combined with community inputs can significantly enhance safety for vulnerable road users. Under the ZFD Programme, we aim to institutionalize such evidence-based measures and strengthen inter-departmental coordination to make Prayagraj a model district in road safety,” he said.
SLF is also undertaking broader ZFD interventions in Prayagraj, including major infrastructure improvements at identified ‘blackspots’ and high-risk corridors. On the same day, a Crash Investigation training session was conducted for 60 officers from the Critical Corridor Police Team to strengthen scientific crash assessment, evidence documentation, and systematic analysis of vehicle, human, and environmental factors contributing to road accidents.
Earlier in December 2025, SLF, with support from Tata AIG, upgraded Community Health Centres in Jasra and Chaka with life-saving medical equipment, transforming them into trauma stabilization facilities—strengthening the emergency response component of road safety.
Devang Pandya, Vice President and Head – CSR & Sustainability at Tata AIG, stated, “Road safety is a shared responsibility requiring sustained collaboration between public institutions, government bodies, and the private sector. Our partnership with SaveLIFE Foundation under the School Zone Safety Treatment and ZFD Programme reflects our strong commitment to saving lives and building safer communities in Uttar Pradesh.”
Santosh Kumar Yadav, Head – High Opportunity Markets (HOM), and Manish Modi, Vice President and Zonal Sales Manager (HOM) – UP at Tata AIG, reiterated the company’s commitment to investing in infrastructure improvements, capacity building, and emergency response systems to prevent tragic road incidents.
Founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, Piyush Tewari, underscored the urgency of systemic reform. “Every child commuting to school deserves a safe road environment. School zones are among the most vulnerable spaces, yet often lack adequate safety infrastructure. Through the ZFD Programme, we are demonstrating that data-driven engineering improvements combined with strong administrative accountability can significantly reduce preventable fatalities. The JBS Public School initiative is part of our larger effort to institutionalize a systems-based road safety model that builds long-term district capacity and prevents avoidable deaths,” he said.
The initiative marks a significant step toward creating safer school environments and advancing Prayagraj’s journey toward becoming a Zero Fatality District.
