SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) is an innovative non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on improving road safety and emergency care across India through high-impact and strategic interventions at the policy as well as grassroots level. With support from organizations such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, World Bank, WHO, Global Road Safety Partnership, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bharti Enterprises, Mahindra and Mahindra, and Religare Healthfore, SLF is creating high impact solutions that help to save hundreds of lives every year. To achieve its objectives, SLF operates in two broad areas,

• -Accident Prevention
• -Post-Accident Respone

In both of the above areas, SLF’s model includes Policy Advocacy, Strategic Public Interest Litigation and On-ground Interventions.

Initiatives in Accident Prevention

-• Advocating for a comprehensive National Road Safety Law and Lead Agency at both the Central and State levels for the required multi-sectoral coordination
-• Litigating in the Supreme Court of India to address deaths and injuries caused by trucks carrying protruding rods
-• Expanding the Anticipatory Driving and Accident Prevention Training (ADAPT) program targeting high-risk commercial drivers – The program is conducted over 4 hours and uses blended learning techniques to reinforce 5 – 6 key strategies for accident prevention. This is a travelling program and can be conducted by SLF anywhere in the country.

Initiatives in Post-Accident Response

-• Advocating for a Good Samaritan Law for India to enable bystanders to come forward and assist injured persons without fear of danger, harassment or intimidation
-• Litigating in the Supreme Court of India to mandate a comprehensive nationwide framework for trauma care for injured persons
-• Training Police personnel and citizen volunteers to become medical first responders to road accident victims – The program is conducted over 4 hours and covers 3 main techniques to save a critically injured victim’s life. The module is 80% practical and 20% theoretical with a mandatory refresher after 3 months. This is a travelling program and can be conducted by SLF anywhere in the country.

The Beginning

fter his cousin died in a road accident in 2008, Piyush Tewari founded SLF with the aim of improving road safety emergency care across India. Piyush, who was then the Managing Director of Calibrated Group’s (a US-based private equity firm) India operations, started studying the space of emergency care and discovered that 50% of all road accident deaths in India can be prevented if the victims received timely care. He then invited his friend and mentor Krishen Mehta to join him in setting up the organization with a mission to enable Bystander Care — the immediate care that the police and public can provide emergency victims, especially those of road accidents, to enhance their chances of survival.

SLF started with training police personnel — the first responders at most accident spots — in basic trauma and life support skills. Over the past 8 years, SLF has expanded its operations to include advocacy for stronger road safety and emergency care laws and an accident prevention training program for high-risk commercial drivers. Based out of New Delhi, today SLF has operations in over 10 states and union territories across the country and has impacted policy to bring permanent change in road safety and emergency care in India.