Welcome to the other side of Auto Expo. It’s not about horsepower or engine strength, it’s about consequences of ignoring traffic rules.

With a simple plot focussing on dire warnings about accidents, the play is an effort by Maruti Suzuki to inculcate good traffic sense among visitors.

“Promoting road safety has always been an important responsibility for us, and the Auto Expo is a perfect platform for that,” a company official says.

So, no posters or advertisements. It’s street theatre to drive home the message.

The response among visitors vary, as is expected. “To be honest, street plays aren’t going to influence people to follow traffic rules. What we need is stricter implementation of policies,” says Jeevan Sarma, 21, “avid biker” with a penchant for speed.

In contrast are two elderly gentlemen, all praises for the effort. “You know the government has posters — ‘Speed thrills but kills’ — put up everywhere. But who sees them?” one of them asks. “Maybe this can help drive home the point.”

For lead actress Sapna Khatana, though, the highest praise came from a nine-year-old who recounted to his parents all he learnt from the play. “He told them that they shouldn’t drive fast, break signals, smoke, or talk on the mobile phone while driving,” Khatana says. “That was just great because if children can learn these things, then half the battle is won.”

Meanwhile, in another quiet corner Hero Honda is conducting its ‘Ride Safe’ programme. Here, visitors are invited to take part in a road-safety demonstration — officials give them information about the safest ways to ride a motorcycle, starting with biking gear, complete with knee and elbow pads.