CHENNAI: A muscle-cramping, physically draining journey across the country on a motorbike may not be the ideal way to spread awareness on road safety for many but it is effective to lead by example. Having travelled 3,227km from Lucknow on two-wheelers, Aditya Singh, Atul Mishra and Rishabh Shankdhar believe that their mission would be a success if they inspired at least one person to follow traffic rules.Singh advocates safe riding and its necessity is never understood better than when on a long road trip. "Apart from the fact that it is hard on the body, there are chances that you can zone out for a few moments because the road is long and monotonous. It is why the appropriate riding gear is mandatory," said Singh, 23, a wedding planner. The trio on their Royal Enfield bikes stopped over at Kanyakumari enroute on Wednesday, eight days after they began the ride.Covering a range of states, Mishra found a dangerous phenomenon unique to two-wheeler riders in Tamil Nadu . "I found lots of two-wheelers with three people on them. It is unsafe. Most of these motorbikes are the 100cc models and not designed to carry the weight of three people," he said. The scope of the drive, according to Mishra, a 48-year-old tattoo artist and hair stylist, is to enlighten the public that safety is not something you display for the traffic policeman. "What is the point of putting on a helmet for the policeman at the signal and then removing it once you are past him?" he asks.However, their journey thus far has not been without its trials. Singh was riding 120km from Hyderabad when his rear tyre was punctured by nails. "I did not realise the vehicle was wobbling due to the puncture. It was raining and strong winds were literraly pushing the vehicles off the highway," he said with Shankdhar too agreeing that encounters with bad weather such as the one in Hyderabad are one of the most challenging parts of a road trip. The drive is sponsored in part by the Lucknow-based Shubham Soti Foundation . The foundation was named in memory of a 16-year-old who lost his life in a road accident in 2010, he was not wearing a helmet.Driven by the passion to spread a message, all three are thankful to the local motorcycling communities without their volunteered help and support along the journey, reaching the southern tip of the nation could have been an ordeal to forget.

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