The Campaign

75% of traffic police in southern India have suffered permanent hearing damage. Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are some of the world’s noisiest cities. All thanks to the constant & inconsiderate honking. We realized that moral talk, signs or fines haven’t really changed people’s behavior. And it was time that the problem was looked from a fresh perspective. We created No Po Po - an unconventional no-honking program that rewards drivers for not honking! A device was created that records the number of times you honk along with a mobile app that helps you monitor your honking behaviour. The deal was simple – the lesser you honk, the more rewards you earn! Rationale behind the name: “Po Po” is common parlance in India to describe honking. We wanted to put a full-stop to this menace by saying, NO more “PO PO”!

Creative Execution

How it works? 1. The tiny device is placed on a car’s dashboard. 2. Every time one honks, the device captures it. 3. The data received by the device is then sent to the user’s mobile through an app. 4. The user could not only track his horn count, but also set personal targets using the app. Components of the device: Micro-controller, Bluetooth, Monochromatic Screen, Buzzer, RGB LED, Potentiometer. Platform: Device: Open source prototyping platform - Arduino App: Android Stage: Beta Launch

To bring about a change in the honking behaviour of erratic drivers in India and help decrease noise pollution in cities. The idea is scalable to every city and state of India as all it takes is one simple device and an app. The idea is extremely relevant to the automotive industry as the onus of solving the problem of inconsiderate honking lies on it. In just 3 months, a drastic 43% drop was registered in the honking patterns of the No Po Po users. The decibel levels plunged like never before. In the working, is a plan to pre-fit No Po Po in all Maruti Suzuki cars in the future. More than anything, we were able to give out a message that was loud and clear. No more PO PO or No More Honking!

No Po Po is a FIRST EVER smart IoT device that captures the horn count and displays it in real-time, making drivers realise their incessant act of honking. With the No Po Po app, they could track their honking usage and even set daily targets. We needed to change the honking behaviour of errant drivers. When penalties, signs and moral talk failed to transform the mindset, technology became our beacon of hope.