Narain Karthikeyan to promote safe driving

The fastest Indian, Narain Karthikeyan, who is in town in preparation for his scheduled drive here this Onam, also has the message of road safety to spread among youngsters. Three signs, autographed by the Formula One racer and bearing messages like ‘Wear seatbelts and helmets’, ‘Don’t drink and drive’ and ‘Maintain speed limit’ will be displayed on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch.

This is ahead of the August 28 drive, where Karthikeyan will drive a Formula One car from Kowdiar Circle to Chandresekharan Nair Stadium to highlight safe driving practices among the youth.

Before the drive, he will inspect every detail of the 2.5-km stretch, from the reflectors to the road humps, according to Praveen Muraleedharan of Round Table 126, one of the organisers of the event.

“This spot, Kowdiar Circle, was chosen as the starting point as it has become the site of so many accidents involving youngsters who were overspeeding,” he said.

Speaking to mediapersons at Kowdiar Park on Friday, Karthikeyan said it would be a good opportunity for him to experience the thrill of speed racing while promoting the safety aspects of motoring.

The organisers - Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the Kerala Round Fund Board, M&N Racing, Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd and Trivandrum Beach City Round Table - are ‘’making use of the fastest Indian to dissuade youngsters from rash driving.’’