Nitin Gadkari unveils Times Drive's safety campaign titled 'Brake the Habit'
Brake the Habit: A National Campaign for Safer Indian Roads
On July 31, 2025, Times Drive, the flagship auto platform of Times Network, launched a new national road safety campaign called Brake the Habit. The campaign was inaugurated by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari during the Snapdragon for India Auto Day event in New Delhi.
The initiative aims to promote responsible driving and safer road behavior across India through public engagement, educational activities, storytelling, and on-ground activations.
Goals of Brake the Habit
The goals of Brake the Habit are to create widespread awareness to encourage responsible driving habits, shift Indian drivers’ behavioral patterns to reduce accidents and improve road safety, make road safety a collective responsibility involving government, industry, and media collaboration, build momentum towards a large-scale awareness campaign during Road Safety Week in January 2026, and support broader government initiatives such as redesigning accident-prone corridors through the Zero Fatality Corridor project and investing Rs 40,000 crore to fix highway black spots.
Key Highlights and Updates
The campaign launched with the premiere of the road safety anthem “Parvaah,” sung by Shankar Mahadevan, intended to emotionally connect and educate the public on cautious driving. Times Drive’s platform will enhance user engagement via digital tools, including an AI assistant for vehicle selection and upcoming services related to insurance, after-sales, and resale support.
The initiative supports ongoing government efforts like promoting helmet usage, safer vehicle standards, and alternatives to fossil fuels for transportation. The campaign emphasizes a multi-faceted approach incorporating engineering, enforcement, education, and empathy to tackle India’s road safety challenges.
The Snapdragon Auto Day Event
The Snapdragon Auto Day event brought together auto industry leaders, mobility innovators, and sustainability advocates, with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari unveiling the Brake the Habit campaign. Gadkari mentioned that automakers across the world are now testing their cars in India, which he sees as a testament to the quality of Indian infrastructure and standards.
Siddharth Chauhan, who reports on gadgets and technology, was present at the event. The event reinforced the role of collaboration between government, industry, and media in shaping a safer future for Indian roads.
Overall, “Brake the Habit” is positioned as a long-term, content-led national campaign targeting safer driving behavior and reducing road accidents through continuous awareness and multi-sector collaboration. The Parvaah anthem aims to raise awareness around the importance of cautious and responsible driving in India, while Times Drive plans to add services like insurance suggestions, after-sales information, and resale support to its platform.
- The automotive industry, media, and government collaborated at the Snapdragon Auto Day event, where Nitin Gadkari, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, announced the launch of Times Drive's national road safety campaign Brake the Habit.
- The Brake the Habit campaign extends its initiatives to various sectors, including finance, with Times Drive's platform planning to introduce digital tools for insurance, after-sales, and resale support.
- The smartphone industry has also shown its support for road safety through the release of the road safety anthem “Parvaah,” sung by Shankar Mahadevan, which promotes cautious driving and is part of the Brake the Habit campaign.
