Meet Bengaluru Teen Who Turned A Traumatic Childhood Accident Into a Road Safety Plan For 50000 People

“Road accidents do not happen because people don’t care. They happen because people are never taught early enough to care about themselves, about others, and about the road as a shared space,” says Surya Uthkarsha.

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For most people, road safety is something they begin to think about only when they start driving. For children, it is rarely spoken about in a meaningful way at all. They are expected to observe and somehow learn by trial and error in an environment that is anything but forgiving. In a country where roads are chaotic, overstretched, and often poorly designed, this absence of early awareness puts young lives at risk every single day.

For Surya, a 14-year-old student from Bengaluru, this gap in awareness is not theoretical. It is anchored in memory, shaped by experience, and driven by a conviction that children deserve better preparation for the world they step into every morning.

He is currently studying in Class 9 at National Public School, Rajajinagar, but beyond the classroom, he is the founder of The Marg Initiative, a youth-led road safety initiative that has already reached over 50,000 people across India. He is also building Roadyz, an educational mobile game that teaches road safety to children through play, not instruction. 

The strength of his work is not just the scale he has achieved at such a young age, but the clarity with which he understands that if awareness begins early, behaviour changes naturally.

The accident that changed how he saw roads

That understanding did not come overnight.

When he was around six or seven years old, his family was travelling on a highway near Shivamogga, Karnataka, when their car met with an accident. A sudden animal crossing, combined with poor road infrastructure and a lack of protective measures, caused the vehicle to lose balance and topple multiple times before coming to a halt.

“It happened sometime in the afternoon, and everything changed in seconds. The car rolled around five times. We were incredibly lucky because the vehicle was protected with six airbags. If it didn’t, I do not know what would have happened to us,” he exclaims.

Everyone survived with only minor injuries, but the incident left a lasting impression. At the time, he was too young to analyse what had gone wrong. That early incident grew with him, influencing how he saw the flow of traffic and the design of the city itself.

“I began noticing how unsafe roads actually are. Not just because of drivers, but because of missing infrastructure and a complete lack of awareness. Even one missing factor can turn fatal,” he tells The Better India.

Over time, this observation amplified into a belief that now anchors all his work. “Infrastructure without awareness does not work,” he explains. “And awareness without infrastructure doesn’t either. You need both, working together.”

From a thought to a mission

The idea of acting on this belief began to materialise when Surya was around 12 years old, towards the end of 2023. While participating in the 1 Million for 1 Billion (1M1B) accelerator, a UN-accredited programme that supports young changemakers, he was introduced to social impact thinking at scale.

“I did not want this to be a one-off campaign or a short project. I wanted to build something that grows, evolves, and continues creating impact even when I’m not personally present everywhere,” he says.

By March 2024, ‘The Marg Initiative’ was officially launched. The word marg, meaning ‘path’, reflects the young changemaker’s vision of guiding people, especially children, towards safer choices on the road.

From the outset, the initiative was built around four interconnected pillars, mainly awareness, advocacy, innovation, and fundraising. Awareness formed the foundation. It began conducting road safety sessions in schools, orphanages, and community spaces, explaining traffic signals, pedestrian rules, safe crossing techniques, helmet and seatbelt usage, and even basic first response.

Why The Marg Initiative focuses on children first

The initiative distinguishes itself by concentrating on young learners, guiding those aged six to 18 towards safer road behaviour.

“Most road safety programmes are reactive,” Surya explains. “They come in when people are already driving. But children are the most vulnerable users of the road, and also the most open to learning. If you teach them early, safe behaviour becomes instinctive.”

This approach resonated strongly with educators. At Capstone High School in Bengaluru, The Marg Initiative conducted workshops for middle school students.

Ms Nabanita Dey, middle school coordinator at Capstone High, says, “Road safety is an important aspect of daily life for everyone. When the message comes from young people themselves, the effect is far more insightful. Students relate to peers more easily than to formal instructions.”

She adds, “The team’s enthusiasm, in-depth understanding of the subject, and presentation skills were impressive. Initiatives like Surya’s inspire other young people to engage with positive ideas and make a real difference.”

The initiative’s work in orphanages proved particularly impactful. In many such institutions, structured road safety education is limited.

“These sessions stayed with us. The children were not just listening; they were asking questions, correcting each other, and sharing their own experiences. That is when you know awareness is actually forming,” Surya says.

Building evidence, not just awareness

While awareness was the starting point, the young changemaker knew lasting change required evidence.

Through The Marg Initiative’s advocacy pillar, he began working on a state-level research project in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Working under Professor Gautam from the Department of Epidemiology, he and his team began collecting data from 10 to 12 skywalks across Bengaluru.

“The early findings are very clear. Skywalks with elevators and escalators are used more frequently, especially by elderly people and those with disabilities. Accessibility directly affects safety,” he explains. 

The goal is to present this data to authorities so that infrastructure decisions are guided by evidence rather than assumptions.

When teaching needed a new language

As the initiative’s sessions expanded, another challenge came to light. “Children understood what we taught, but retention was always a problem. A one-hour lecture can only do so much,” the young changemaker explains.

That realisation led to Roadyz.

Conceptualised between September and October 2024, it is a mobile game that teaches road safety through gameplay, inspired by popular endless-runner games but grounded in Indian road realities.

“If something helps you win repeatedly in a game, it stays with you. The idea is that safe behaviour feels rewarding, not restrictive,” he says. 

In the game, children can earn power-ups such as reflective jackets or footpath-mode helmets. 

“The idea is to make the players believe that if these tools help them succeed in the game, they can help them in real life too,” he explains. By linking in-game rewards to real-world safety behaviours, the game encourages children to see safe crossing techniques not as rules, but as tools that keep them safe.

Roadyz was shortlisted twice for Shark Tank India, received interest from US-based investors, and secured around Rs 30,000 to build the initial version. A working demo exists, and the official launch is planned for quarter 3 (Q3) this year, following final testing. Even before launch, the waitlist crossed 200 sign-ups so far.

Validation from the ecosystem

Surya and his team have presented The Marg Initiative and Roadyz to founders and leaders, including Tarun Mehta (Ather Energy), Rahul Chari (PhonePe), Aravind Sanka (Rapido), Amit Agarwal (NoBroker), Ashish Singhal (CoinSwitch), and actor Rana Daggubati.

“These interactions were not about funding. They were about feedback, perspective, and credibility,” he clarifies.

Support from the Bengaluru Traffic Police, including senior officials Anitha B Haddanavur and  G Prabhakar, further strengthened the initiative’s legitimacy. The team was invited to the Traffic Management Centre, where they observed how traffic monitoring and enforcement systems operate.

“To pitch our ideas to people who actually run the system was surreal,” Surya says. “It made us feel like our work was being recognised.”

What change looks like on the ground

The strongest validation, however, comes from the children themselves.

Adithya, 15, who attended a session, shares, “I now cross roads carefully, follow signals, avoid using my phone, and even remind others to be safe. I feel more confident because I know how to react.”

Vivaan Narsimha, 14, a volunteer, adds, “I learnt that cap helmets do not protect you properly. Now I follow road safety rules daily and tell others to do the same.”

So far, The Marg Initiative has reached approximately 50,000 people indirectly, including 20,000 through digital campaigns, 15,000 through marathons and public events, and 3,000 students through direct school workshops.

It has worked with schools such as National Public School, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Capstone High School, and four orphanages. The team has also conducted footpath cleaning drives with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), resulting in visibly increased footpath usage.

Today, the initiative operates actively in Bengaluru, Surat, Agra, Kolkata, and Assam, supported by 25 volunteers, with plans to grow further based on strong interest. “This is not about age or recognition,” Surya says. “It is about starting early and building something that genuinely keeps people safe.”

All pictures courtesy Surya Uthkarsha