Foggy Goggles to Mimic Drunk Driving, and Other Traffic Lessons

Hyderabad: The city on Sunday witnessed a road safety expo, organised by ‘Topdriver’ author and road safety expert Naresh Raghavan, to shift the conversation from punishment for traffic violations, to driver education.

Raghavan pointed out that while India led the world in road accident numbers, nearly 80 per cent of crashes stemmed from driver error, This made bringing awareness and behavioural change critical, he said at the event that was organised in association with Sarvejana Foundation.

Road safety expert Dheerendra Samineni provided a simulation where participants wore special blurring goggles, mimicking the disorientation of a drunk driver. Many attendees tried it and realised how easily judgment fails under intoxication.

A poster illustrated the ‘Pyramid of Road Safety’, with driver education and theory forming the base, followed by driving practice, road design, licensing, and enforcement at the top. The message was clear: fines alone cannot build safer roads unless knowledge comes first.

Among those deeply moved was Dr Sirisha from Chengicherla. “Working at AIIMS, I witness firsthand the devastating impact of road traffic accidents on patients and their families. At the expo, I understood real-life challenges through simulations, including the drunk driving experience. The sessions helped me connect what I see daily in hospitals with the importance of responsible behaviour on roads,” she said.

The expo was family-friendly, interactive, and free, ensuring accessibility for ordinary citizens. Volunteers stressed that safer roads demand collective responsibility—learning, unlearning, and consciously practising discipline every single day.

Sriharsha, who travelled from Pune to attend, said, “I met many aspirants who wanted to learn road safety and make roads better for themselves and others. Events like these motivate the next generation to take road safety seriously.”

Raghavan is planning more events on varied topics. “The driver is the one with brains, not the vehicle or the road. The driver must act accordingly,” he said.

The venue was lined with posters curated by volunteers, highlighting essential and often-ignored traffic practices such as braking distance, anticipation, overtaking rules, highway etiquette, road markings, and traffic signs.

Wearing bright red to symbolise “stop” and handing out orange-coloured sweets for “caution,” city heritage activist and Intach-Hyderabad convenor Anuradha Reddy set the tone for the event. “Nothing green,” she chuckled, “because hardly anyone in the city follows it.”

The humour carried a sting of truth about the harsh reality of irresponsible driving on Hyderabad’s roads.