Outside of his films, Sonu Sood is known for his charitable deeds, from running the eponymous charity club that helps the underprivileged (Help, closer to you, March 26) to sponsoring kidney transplant surgeries for the needy. Now, the actor has taken up another cause. Sood, whose wife Sonali Sood met with an accident last month, wants to use his star power to advocate road safety, especially the use of seat belts.

On March 24, while travelling on the Nagpur highway, Sonali, her sister and her nephew met with an accident. While both Sonali and her nephew sustained injuries, Sood says all the passengers were saved because they were wearing seat belts. With this incident serving as a trigger, the actor wants to highlight the importance of seat belts.

“In India, few people believe that seat belts are important for their safety. Many feel uncomfortable wearing them, which is a shame. There has to be more awareness around the importance of rear seat belts. The only way to do that is whenever someone is sitting in the rear seat, you ask them to wear the belt. When an accident happens, the chances of the person sitting in the rear seat [being flung] to the windscreen are high, and airbags take time to open. That’s why wearing seat belts is important,” he asserts.

The actor wants to ingrain a safety-first approach among people. The responsibility, he says, should be shared by drivers, passengers, traffic authorities, and car manufacturers.

“A car should have all safety measures when it comes on the road, including the beeping mechanism [when someone is not wearing a seat belt]. People should be fined for not wearing them in the rear seat. It should not be a temporary thought, but must become a habit. India should make baby carriers mandatory. The authorities need to be strict about [drivers adhering to] speed limits and avoiding mobile phones while driving.”

To spread the good word, Sood recently posted a video on his social media handle. He plans to increase awareness through videos and campaigns. “I’ll spread the message of safety by conducting awareness programmes and through social media posts,” he shares.

Monday evening turned tense for actor Sonu Sood and his wife, film producer Sonali Sood, after the vehicle she was travelling in met with an accident on the Mumbai-Nagpur highway.

Sonali was travelling with her sister and nephew when their car rammed into the back of a truck. Soon after, pictures from the accident site went viral on social media.

When we reached out to Sonu for an update on the situation, he told us, “She is doing fine. By God’s grace, she is doing good now.” The actor has been by her side ever since; doctors have placed both Sonali and her sister under close observation.

On Tuesday, the Nagpur hospital that the three were rushed to issued a statement about their condition: “Mrs Sonali Sood, her sister and nephew were brought to the Emergency Department at approximately 10.30pm [on Monday]. All three patients were conscious upon arrival and had stable vital signs. Her nephew was discharged after first aid.”

The hospital further added that both sisters were “recovering well” and that their condition was “stable”.