http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2013/12/17/road-safety-messages/
This road safety message was from the Australian Road Safety Council from 1939-1957 and was encouraging Road Happiness. Seatbelts, speed, drink driving, fatigue, mobile phones, drugs, watch out for trams, watch out for trucks, vehicle safety and the list goes on…there are so many messages that we are bombarded with that sometimes it can appear confusing, but everyone is different and will respond to messages differently.
Worldwide, around 1.25 million people are killed on the road each year across developed and developing countries[1]. That is around the population of everyone living in Adelaide killed every year!
Every country has a culture and an attitude to driving which can differ slightly from Australia or vary widely. Even in Australia, each State and Local Government has its own approach to addressing the risks and the messages are tailored to the intended audience. PeopleTrans has collated a few that we have seen recently on our overseas travels.
Singapore:
As a developed country, Singapore’s target here is driver behaviour and encouraging courtesy between drivers.
Kolkata, India
This message from Kolkata in India “Donate Blood but not on road” seems to be serving two purposes here: To donate to help the community, but also to donate it voluntarily.
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
There are around 16,300 registered motor vehicles in the Cook Islands, with around 60% being motor bikes and scooters[2]. While crashes in the Cook Islands typically only kill a few people a year, their low population results in a very high crash rate per head of population. An appeal to keeping your family together with this witty sign is one way that the government is trying to encourage more people to wear healmets and stay safe.
Have you seen any interesting road safety messages?
[1] http://www.who.int/gho/road_safety/mortality/traffic_deaths_number/en/
All references last accessed 19/11/18
