Road Safety College Project

pprendeville

Have returned to college to study Chinese w/Biz having been unable to find a job/win the lotto. As part of our Marketing module we are required to do a project on road safety. Details a bit sketchy so far but would be interested in feedback on what people would deem as relevant content. Obviously cyclists are exempt from any sorts of criticism.

galwaycyclist

Just in from the CTC for whom I am South of Ireland Rep.

Newly published briefings:
 
Cycling and Road Saftey
 
THIS BRIEFING COVERS
Headline messages; CTC view; key facts and arguments; risks and benefits; safety in numbers;
tackling the deterrents; cycle training; targets and indicators; policy background; further reading.

HEADLINE MESSAGES

• Cycling is essentially a safe activity, causing little risk either to cyclists themselves or to other Road users. Moreover, there is good evidence that cyclists gain from ‘safety in numbers’, with cycling becoming safer as cycle use increases.
• However, fear of road traffic is a major deterrent, despite the health, environmental and other benefits of cycling. Actual cycle safety in the UK lags behind many of our continental
neighbours, because of poorly designed roads and junctions, traffic volumes and speeds,
irresponsible driving, and a legal system that fails to respond adequately to road danger.
• National and local government should therefore aim for ‘more’ as well as ‘safer’ cycling – the two aims can and should go hand in hand.
To read full briefing please follow this link;

http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/Campaigns/11_Rd-Safety-Strategies-Overview_brf.pdf

Cookie_Monster

The dismal surface quality is the biggest safety issue for cyclists IMO.

be it the risk of breaking a wheel or having to swerve out into the middle of the road to avoid craters or simply having to pay to much attention to the surface to distract you from watching the rest of your surrounds properly.

fat bloke

First thing you need to find out is if the person correcting your project is a cyclist. If they are, game on. If not, I'd take a different tack - all cyclists are hairy apes and whyinthenameofgoddon'ttheyusethecyclelanesIjustcannotunderstanditforthelifeofme etc etc.

Good on ya for going back to college.

An interesting angle (if you were into it) is the mushrooming of active /intelligent safety devices in modern cars. Intelligent cruise control that monitors cars in front and behind and keeps a safe distance, automatic emergency braking systems, night vision and head up displays for spotting pedestrians in low light and darkness. NCAP now has a pedestrian collision test, car must not only protect the occupant, but also minimise the damage done to the guy you just ran over. There are also sensors on the sides of cars which monitor blindspots for stuff like motorway lane changes.

Funny thing is, I've yet to hear anyone say anything about cyclists. Does that blindspot sensor tell you if there's a bicycle coming up on your left in the cycle lane and auto-lock the nearside door momentarily to stop you opening it into the cyclist's path? (It doesn't afaik) - it should! Similarly, why not a proximity sensor when you're overtaking a cyclist. ROTR say 3 feet or something don't they? Why not a buzz or a ding-ding whenever you blow past a cyclist, nuzzling him gently with your 60mph door mirror?

lafors

fat bloke wrote: »

An interesting angle (if you were into it) is the mushrooming of active /intelligent safety devices in modern cars. Intelligent cruise control that monitors cars in front and behind and keeps a safe distance, automatic emergency braking systems, night vision and head up displays for spotting pedestrians in low light and darkness. NCAP now has a pedestrian collision test, car must not only protect the occupant, but also minimise the damage done to the guy you just ran over. There are also sensors on the sides of cars which monitor blindspots for stuff like motorway lane changes.

Funny thing is, I've yet to hear anyone say anything about cyclists. Does that blindspot sensor tell you if there's a bicycle coming up on your left in the cycle lane and auto-lock the nearside door momentarily to stop you opening it into the cyclist's path? (It doesn't afaik) - it should! Similarly, why not a proximity sensor when you're overtaking a cyclist. ROTR say 3 feet or something don't they? Why not a buzz or a ding-ding whenever you blow past a cyclist, nuzzling him gently with your 60mph door mirror?

They should give you a job in the motor design industry.
2 very very good ideas there!
I'm amazed how cars are getting all these safety "gizmos" and that haulage trucks/lorrys are not seeing any of it, or not that I've read about/heard....I like my vehicles and I like my gizmos

reallyunique

Jaysus!!! That idea for locking the door if there's something coming is just amazing. Cars have all the tech for this already. It's cheaper than airbags and would save so many door-ings that insurance companies should push for it.
It must be a great idea because I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it
Well done.

tomasrojo

I see that the RSA had a "Leading Lights" award ceremony this week, where they recognised children who were trying to improve road safety. There was, as you'd expect from the RSA, a fair bit of emphasis on hi-viz jackets for everyone who isn't in a car.

I'd be interested to know how trying to associate cycling and walking with looking like a bin man affects people's perception of those activities.

Cookie_Monster

and no kids suggested that all cars should be painted in high vis yellow?
:P

tomasrojo

There was one project where two kids measured the speed of cars passing through their village and found they were nearly all speeding. I didn't catch what remedial measure was taken, but speeds are down now apparently.

My source was elev8; it isn't the most rigorous news source.

manwithaplan

tomasrojo wrote: »

There was one project where two kids measured the speed of cars passing through their village and found they were nearly all speeding. I didn't catch what remedial measure was taken, but speeds are down now apparently.

Maybe they put children in high viz vests in the middle of the road. You can't make an omelette...

Paul Kiernan

manwithaplan wrote: »

Maybe they put children in high viz vests in the middle of the road. You can't make an omelette...

Reminds me of .........

A bloke brings his car into his Tyre Repair Centre with both front tyres punctured.

"Holy Jaysus", says the mechanic, "how did you puncture both of them?".
"I ran over two milk bottles".
"Two milk bottles, holy jaysus, did you not see them?".
"No, the little brat had them hidden up his jumper".

check_six

galwaycyclist mentioned the legal system and road danger. Someone may like to put me straight here, but as I see it there are two different views taken regarding running people over (!).

1. run over a pedestrian with a car. Boo, hiss! Car is baddie!
2. run over a cyclist with a car. Well 'e was askin' for it, innit! Bikes fault, or at worst 50/50.

Therefore, I am proposing to revolutionise the insurance industry (but *perhaps* not road safety per se) by introducing bike racks for all cars. One simply keeps a bike on the rack at all times and in the event of you running someone over, one simply lobs the bike onto the road beside them and you are now almost entirely blameless.

(the views contained in this message may or may not be *slightly* influenced by me nearly getting squished by a lady furiously reversing a mom-wagon type vehicle out of her drive this morning. The tinted windows on the vehicle didn't aid her situational awareness as much as you'd expect!)

pprendeville

thanks for feedback. will post up more details when i find out.

Iwannahurl

tomasrojo wrote: »

I see that the RSA had a "Leading Lights" award ceremony this week, where they recognised children who were trying to improve road safety. There was, as you'd expect from the RSA, a fair bit of emphasis on hi-viz jackets for everyone who isn't in a car.

I'd be interested to know how trying to associate cycling and walking with looking like a bin man affects people's perception of those activities.

I suspect the RSA takes a one-size-fits-all statistical approach. More than two-thirds of fatal pedestrian collisions happen at night so always wear hi-viz accessories, kind of thing.

I was out on the bike last night with Sam Browne (the belt, not the British army officer) and bright flashing lights front and rear.

The speed of cars, including on dark narrow roads, was unreal (taxis being the worst, perhaps). Having cyclists dressed like a bin man and lit up like a Christmas tree doesn't slow motorists down. It just gives them more precise bearings when speeding.

The RSA has no role in enforcement so all they can do is give advice. Speed is a major issue, as is dangerous driving, and there is no substitute for enforcement IMO. Unfortunately we know where we stand on that issue in this country.

tomasrojo

They could recommend "or pedestrians can alternatively use bright red and white lights, rear and front".

I'd definitely carry them in preference to a hi-viz jacket. In fact, when walking on dangerous rural roads, I do exactly that. They work better than hi-viz jackets. I'd say you have a somewhat better chance of getting young people out for a few drinks in rural areas to bring them than to lug an ugly jacket around all night.

A Sam Browne is a very good idea. Why can't they push that instead of hi-viz jackets? They roll up in to a small package, unlike a jacket, and you don't look like a binman. And you can hang lights off the belt, front and rear, if you're really worried about visibility.

(I'm not fashion-conscious myself, but we need vain people to cycle and walk, or else they'll both always be a minority activity.)

Lately it's all hi-viz jackets, including in times of good visibility.

tomasrojo

I think unintended consequences have to be considered as well. Are all these campaigns putting people off walking and cycling? I don't think it's at all fanciful to think so. Well, then the roads become more dangerous. There might be fewer pedestrian and cyclists deaths, merely because there are so few cyclists and pedestrians. It doesn't mean that they've succeeded in making the roads safer, merely sterilized of vulnerable users.

rp

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Just in from the CTC for whom I am South of Ireland Rep.

Wow, I didn't know CTC were active here: can we join, get the mag, get the organization and support that cyclist have in the uk?

rp

tomasrojo wrote: »

I think unintended consequences have to be considered as well. Are all these campaigns putting people off walking and cycling? I don't think it's at all fanciful to think so.

Case in point: Western Australia

galwaycyclist

rp wrote: »

Wow, I didn't know CTC were active here: can we join, get the mag, get the organization and support that cyclist have in the uk?

Hmmm as campaigners the answer is yes. The ctc is a very useful source of support and information on policy matters of interest to "political" cyclists.

Although we are a pre-partition "all island" entity, a few years ago the ctc's insurers decided they would no longer cover the republic which ended the club type functions.

That said if the market was big enough there might be scope to change the insurers minds...........

pprendeville

Got the brief and it looks like so (please note we're not looking to copy an idea, just looking for feedback):

• Every year, many people, mostly young men die in motor accidents on our roads. In every European country, it is the same; young people die because they are driving too fast, or because they make mistakes through inexperience or because they have been using drugs or alcohol. Sometimes, it is because they thought they impressed their friends by reckless driving.
• Statistically, a young male driver (17-25 years) is seven times more likely to die in a car accident than someone who is fifty or older.
• How do you get 17-25 year old male drivers to buy into road safety? Young male drivers make up a disproportionate share of the nation’s road fatalities. The powerful television advertisement campaigns we have seen in the past few years are having some effect on driver behavior, yet, every Monday morning we read in our newspapers about the deaths of more young men on the country’s roads.
• Research in DIT and elsewhere indicates that girlfriends, sisters, in fact any female companion in a car driven by a young male will change aggressive driving behavior in young male drivers by simply asking him to slow down.
• This research or your own ideas might form the focal point of your project.

Proposed Strategy for viral marketing campaign on Road Safety.

Target Market: Young Drivers, Male, 17-25 (preferred) or any gender in this age group
Objectives of Campaign:

• Decrease road accidents involving this age group by (10%) within 12 months from campaign launch.
• Produce a compelling video for distribution via viral marketing e.g. YouTube, Face Book, My Space etc
• Achieve a distribution of 5,000 “views” or “hits”and maximize a Public Relations campaign to launch the initiative.
• Produce a professional and attractive poster or traditional media format that highlights a road safety issue of your choice.

After much hemming and hawing we've decided to go with an idea that involves a cyclist (him being the person that gets kncoked down - nothing happens the drivers - how ironic is that?). Idea involves 2 guys driving along a bit too quickly and they see a few cuties walking along and as a result take their eyes off the road in turn take out a cyclist. There is a bit of humour involved in that the cuties turn out to be fairly dodgy looking dudes.

Will post movie up here on completion in the hope it gets some circulation. Here's one that the lecturer like from last years batch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4pwEcqgNo

Lusk Doyle

pprendeville wrote: »

the person that gets kncoked down - nothing happens the drivers - how ironic is that?).

Not ironic at all really.

Another point to consider is failure to prepare the car properly for the journey. What I mean here is not demisting the windows and clearing the mirrors properly before setting off. This is very important when in areas of traffic that have no lights on (cars, vans, bikes, etc.) and checking mirrors and blind spots is difficult.

Cookie_Monster

that video is just another example of the same stupid stereotype that ads always use. Like that one where the guy looks at the attractive woman and then squashes the kid. Men can't contain themselves at all in the car and must stare at everything bar the road :rolleyes:

What's the point in doing the same ad over again in a slightly different vain, when it's already ineffective?

tomasrojo

I also think that some effort should be made at this stage to find out what unintended consequences the blood-and-grief ads have. Such as making parents afraid to let their children walk on their own, make people afraid to cycle, etc, resulting in more cars on the road and consequently more road collisions.

Not saying that that is what has happened, but I think these ads are pretty useless anyway, especially when they are in pretty heavy rotation for several years. I just find myself humming "let me tell you about my li-ife" when doing the dishes.

pprendeville

thanks for the feedback guys. any suggestions on what might appeal to the general public so?

to be honest i'm not too bothered about the content and more concerned with getting the thing done as its really time consuming but I suppose I would like it to be a step away from the norm as well. back to the drawing board I guess.

I'd like to point out that my cycling career has gone down the drain since college started :eek: at this rate i'll be leading the charge or possibly holding up the rear in group 1 swords league next year. get my excuses in early.

CramCycle

How about an ad involving middle age women driving a merc or bmw, running down a cyclist. And then show a young male driver, 18-25, obeying the rules of the road, having to swerve to avoid this woman as she leaves the scene of an accident she doesn't even notice she is involved in and causing a second collision between the young male driver and something else (a child since everyone seems obsessed with young men running over kids or young adults).

Points out that despite stereotypes, young men are not the sole cause of accidents and everyone should pay due care and attention. With the rare exception every close call or collision I have been involved in that was not my fault involved a middle aged woman, every one that was clearly my fault involved a male driver (not always young).

You could even run it in one of those horrific forensic crime shows, showing the man hitting the person on the side of the road along the lines of a typical ad and then rewinding it to show the full picture.

pprendeville

cheers cram. that's a really good idea. im not sure if the brief will allow it though as it seems to be aimed at getting young male drivers to slow down. really like it though and will propose it to group.

Lumen

Here's a concept: sliding doors v2.

Common start: young driver piling along country lane with his mates in the back on the way to a nightclub.

Thread #1: passenger mocks driver for his looney driving, driver slows down, they pass a hottie on a bike and make eye contact. Meet at nightclub, driver manages some half-coherent chat with hottie on account of being sober, couple go home for lots of consensual monkeysex.

Thread #2: passenger mocks driver for his looney driving, driver tells him to shut up, runs over and kills hottie, they spent the night in A&E and (to cut a long story short) he ends up having non-consensual monkeysex with his cellmate Biffo in the 'joy.

pprendeville

Lumen wrote: »

Here's a concept: sliding doors v2.

Common start: young driver piling along country lane with his mates in the back on the way to a nightclub.

Thread #1: passenger mocks driver for his looney driving, driver slows down, they pass a hottie on a bike and make eye contact. Meet at nightclub, driver manages some half-coherent chat with hottie on account of being sober, couple go home for lots of consensual monkeysex.

Thread #2: passenger mocks driver for his looney driving, driver tells him to shut up, runs over and kills hottie, they spent the night in A&E and (to cut a long story short) he ends up having non-consensual monkeysex with his cellmate Biffo in the 'joy.

ahhh..no. we need to keep it clean and sex free. but thank you for your input.

manwithaplan

Worth keeping the 'sliding doors' idea though? How about a 'fork in the road'? Driver takes the right fork and something awful happens. Driver takes the left fork and gets pulled over by the boys in blue. "What's the worst that can happen" or some such - lots of messages about enforcement only being able to do so much, personal responsibility etc.

Lusk Doyle

Almost there Lumen!

Manwithplan has the right idea IMO.

daragh_

pprendeville wrote: »

ahhh..no. we need to keep it clean and sex free. but thank you for your input.

That's the problem with advertising today.

No balls.

CramCycle

pprendeville wrote: »

cheers cram. that's a really good idea. im not sure if the brief will allow it though as it seems to be aimed at getting young male drivers to slow down. really like it though and will propose it to group.

You could show 2 alternatives, one where he is going slow, slams on the brakes in time and she just clips his wing, he takes her to task, she is taken off the road as she was caught for hitting him and the cyclist and everyone is happy except the cyclist but he could survive and take her to task as well and then she is villified in the papers.

The other alternative is the one first suggested, where, the young man is not speeding but still possibly slightly faster than he should be in a built up/heavy traffic (pedestrians/cars/bicycles) but its not illegal, its just inexperience.

Therefore satisfying your requirements about young fellas being involved in accidents due to speed (not always over the limit) and satisfies my need to point out that middle aged women IMO in mercs, BMWs (and now land rovers) are the most dangerous drivers on the road, and only fail to show up in statistics because younger, more reflexive drivers act on impulse and swerve out of the way (as most would without the experience to predict the road ahead) and can't control the vehicle in this unexpected situation.