15 May 2009

ACT Govt wants to produce its own road safety ads

| Primal
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The ABC reports that Comrade Stanhope would like the Territory to start producing its own localised road safety ads, despite their cost.

Given that this is the same government that delivered us “Drive N Text UB Next”, what scenarios do rioters think would make for a good Canberra-centric road safety ad?

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Bit of a late entry but hey…

Speed Limit: What the number in that red circle *really* means!
Indicators: Yes, the orange flashy thing really *is* free to use!
The Lane: Believe it or not your vehicle really *will* fit entirely inside it!
Mobile Phones: Hang up and drive, you really *aren’t* that important!
Traffic Lights: *Not* as mysterious a meaning as you think!
Cyclists: The 0.0001 of a second it takes to safely pass them will *not* destroy your life!
Bicycle Helmets: No, they’re *not* designed to protect your handlebars!
Roundabouts: A *simple* concept really!
Competence: Yes, you really *do* need some!

Yes, I did, and I put far more stock in their knowledge of statistics than yours.

Agree 100% with that, Astrojax. So many people seem to think they can blame teh road, or the car, or the sun, or some damn thing. It’s actually pretty bizarre.

caf said :

The evidence says otherwise: Road safety advertising does have an effect on reducing the number of fatal crashes. For example, see this paper from QUT. The heavy advertising by Victoria’s TAC is thought to have been a part of the success that state’s had in reducing their road toll.

Did you actually read this. Based on the monthly accident data in NZ between October 1993 and September 1996 after they instituted increased policing at the same time as an add campaign. And they claim they can determine trends over three years and separate the influences. Give us a break.

one thing road safety ads ought to do is to help us lose the term ‘accident’ when we speak of motor vehicle collisions – only very very rarely are these collisions ‘accidents’.

we need to have all drivers take more responsibility for all their actions and intents and stop news media saying things like ‘the car ran off the road’, or ‘the car lost control’, etc – no! the driver lost control or drove the vehicle off the road…

let’s take a stance for responsibility, not just consequences (which is what the vic ads did).

The evidence says otherwise: Road safety advertising does have an effect on reducing the number of fatal crashes. For example, see this paper from QUT. The heavy advertising by Victoria’s TAC is thought to have been a part of the success that state’s had in reducing their road toll.

(The incentives here are interesting, too – the TAC is the monopoly third party insurance provider in Victoria, so they have a financial interest in reducing deaths and serious injuries on the road…)

Clown Killer7:30 pm 17 May 09

The human cost of road deaths aside, I feel that we have a fairly low road toll here (despite our apparently terrible drivers). You could argue that we export some deaths to surrounding NSW, but by and large we seem to get through each year with a toll in the teens somewhere.

Ultimately it’s a trade off between a road and traffic system that transports lots of people and other stuff about the place as quickly and efficiently as possible and doing it as safely as possible. Throw a mix of poor skills, drug, alcohol or other impairment, masculine bravado, horse-power and whatever else into that equation and we get the result we get.

Do speed camera’s really slow people down? Does the threat of being caught DUI deter the determined drink driver? Will people really desist from answering their phone? I don’t think that advertising and road-side signage is going to do anything to reach the target market.

old canberran5:01 pm 17 May 09

As a victim of a serious road smash (it wasn’t an accident) I don’t believe advertising has any effect on the road toll at all. People are still going to drink and drive, P platers are still going to have accidents and ignore the road rules, people are still going to chat on mobile phones and fiddle with sat-navs. No amount of advertising is going to change these habits.

There’s no prizes for guessing I support road safety killer, but not only for the sake of me and my family, but also for you and yours and all road users. I’ll beat it up for both of us.

What we need it to replace steering wheel airbags with spikes: see how safely people drive then.

TAD said :

“He is. There is nigh on no one in this town outside of the medical field who has seen as much death as he has in the last 10 years. From Grandmas to babies. Probably the highest authority on just how stupid people in this town can be in cars”

I can think of one more you’ll know, vg. (looks a bit like George Castanza)

OK…….forgot about him

LOL

Pommy bastard7:58 am 17 May 09

Punter said :

@#27

Whatever we can do as a community to reduce the road toll is a worthy pursuit.

True, but is it not a case of determining how money can most efficiently used to lower the toll?

Pommy bastard7:56 am 17 May 09

Clown Killer said :

Well lets have a think about this. I’m going to average the ACT road toll at 16 per annum which is 160 over a decade. That’s not actually a lot of dead bastards really. I’ll bet that you’re average constable would see close to the same in the course of regular duties (not counting road deaths). That’s not to say that road deaths aren’t predominantly the result of stupidity, excess or negligence but the hard figures aren’t exactly overwhelming.

Certainly not enough of a problem to warrant spending money over and above what is already spent on TV advertising about the subject, agreed.

Clown Killer7:55 am 17 May 09

You appear to be playing down road safety.

Actually, I’m just not beating it up.

@#27 I must say Clown Killer, I find your attitude toward the road toll disturbing. You appear to be playing down road safety. How many deaths need to occur on our roads before this number becomes overwhelming? My opinion is every death on our roads is a tragic event which is avoidable in almost every circumstance.

I’m sure Mr Neit will agree, those who have ever had to deal with the surviving relatives and friends of road death victims can account for the real cost of our road toll. Can you imagine the ‘average constable’ notifying a surviving relative of a person killed in a collision saying “Your loved one died in a crash which brings the yearly road toll to (whatever number can be imagined) which really isn’t a lot”.

Whatever we can do as a community to reduce the road toll is a worthy pursuit.

Clown Killer11:30 pm 16 May 09

There is nigh on no one in this town outside of the medical field who has seen as much death as he has in the last 10 years. From Grandmas to babies. Probably the highest authority on just how stupid people in this town can be in cars

Well lets have a think about this. I’m going to average the ACT road toll at 16 per annum which is 160 over a decade. That’s not actually a lot of dead bastards really. I’ll bet that you’re average constable would see close to the same in the course of regular duties (not counting road deaths). That’s not to say that road deaths aren’t predominantly the result of stupidity, excess or negligence but the hard figures aren’t exactly overwhelming.

Well said, GB. That person’s mum isn’t tailgating, making stupid rash decisions, harassing other cars, speeding, and the myriad other things that do cause accidents. It’s the angry, impatient, unskilled, testosterone-poisoned people on the roads who do that stuff.

GB……I totaly agree that you shoud drive to your abilities. It is just frightening to witness the amount of people who lack this quality.
Getting a drivers licence is not a right of passage, it is a skill that requires the driver to not only operate the vehicle but also read traffic signs, judge distances and be aware of other cars on the road in relation to you. My mother can do these things, just not all at the same time.
There is a difference between road rage and shaking you head at incompetence.

“He is. There is nigh on no one in this town outside of the medical field who has seen as much death as he has in the last 10 years. From Grandmas to babies. Probably the highest authority on just how stupid people in this town can be in cars”

I can think of one more you’ll know, vg. (looks a bit like George Castanza)

Ags said :

My mum has never had an accident in over 40yrs of driving. Does this make her a good driver?

Yes, good or very very lucky. “Good driver” = driving to the conditions – including your own level of actual skill (rather than level or testosterone or self-righteousness). If she’s hesitant and slow in decision making, then driving slowly is exactly the right answer.

People getting pissed off does not mean she is being unsafe. If someone does something dumb and causes an accident because they are pissed off, that’s just bad anger management.

Bad anger management is unsafe — there’s always going to be plenty of things on the road to piss people off. Little old ladies at 6okph is the least of our worries.

Angry people are unsafe on the roads.

Maybe we can install “angry cameras” to stop them.

Pommy bastard10:41 am 16 May 09

How about paying a couple of $$$million for the Huh corporation* to come up with a snazzy tagline like;

Feel The Power of ACT Policing!

*http://www.huhcorp.com/

just show all the roads and byways in canberra populated only [only!] by cyclists and pedestrians with everyone fit and healthy and smiling. tell cars to sod off. much safer.

I think I’ve worked out what so many people appear to think about roundabouts and indicating.

Essentially, they believe that while you are on a roundabout, you should have your right indicator on, regardless of where you actually intend to go.

And these people are also allowed to breed, and vote.

Ags said :

How to use a roundabout and indicate correctly would make a great ad.

A great idea!! I reckon I’ve seen someone indicating left to go straight on at least once a day for the last few weeks. What the hell is going on??

My mum has never had an accident in over 40yrs of driving. Does this make her a good driver? You would think so, but its only because she never drives over 60kph. She is hesitant and slow in her decision making and takes at least 2 attempts before parking.

I have been in the car with her and cringed at some of the things I have witnessed. Her fart ass approach to driving frustrates me and other drivers. You know the people that approach a give way sign and have ample time to get across if they didn’t have their head up thier ass, or the ones who go around the carpark at 10km/ph and constantly stop and fart ass around.

As post #2 said being proactive and aware of your surroundings makes you a good driver not the speed you do it.

How to use a roundabout and indicate correctly would make a great ad.

bigred said :

How about a Stateline doco showing “a day in the life of Acting Super Neit”. He seems to be a bit of an icon around this town and a decent guy.

He is. There is nigh on no one in this town outside of the medical field who has seen as much death as he has in the last 10 years. From Grandmas to babies. Probably the highest authority on just how stupid people in this town can be in cars

In hindsight, perhaps a better idea for Daz to stand next to the cars rather than in front so that you could see them.

Saw Acting Super Neit, during a total fire ban, pull up next to some dude at the lights and tell him to pick up the ciggie butt he had just discarded onto the roadway. He is a hero, funny voice nad all.

SuperNeit, despite having a funny voice, at least says things and doesn’t just parrot some bland press release. When that clown smashed his car into a tree recently (in Mawson? Or Chisholm? can’t remember) SuperNeit pointed out that it wasn’t the road’s fault, the road didn’t do anything, it was the driver driving stupidly.

How about a Stateline doco showing “a day in the life of Acting Super Neit”. He seems to be a bit of an icon around this town and a decent guy.

The best ad I’ve seen is the one where it looks like it’s an ad for a new holden ute. The guy’s hooning along listening to Powederfinger, overtakes a truck on a blind corner only to find another car coming the other way. The guy lives to see the lives he’s ruined in the other car.

The other good one was the where the driver of a van, with family, falls asleep in the wheel and drifts in to the path of an oncoming truck.

They always made me think about my driving.

So I think shock is the best tactic. Only problem is that after seeing the ad a few times the shock value disappears.

There have been many many “road safety” ads over the years. The impact on the road toll or traffic offenses? none.

A/Supt Darryl Neit and members of his team simply standing in front of mangled vehicles at the police property office yard overlaid with the sound of the metallic screech and clnk of another body being lodged in the mortuary fridge.

Sorry, I’ve seen it too many times for not finding a lot of humour in this.

Got a better one for you Sgt.Bungers

Two identical cars, both traveling at 60 side by side. Driver A happens to be driving proactively, and notices a large truck approaching from the side of the road, well before the truck actually enters the road. Realising the truck isn’t stopping, driver A hits the brakes 30 metres before the point that the truck is entering the road… pulling up nicely with a few metres to spare. Driver B, giving full attention to the speedo to ensure they don’t go over fails to spot the truck as it enters the road, which at that point in time is to late to react appropriately…

Then some sombre bloke then has to say “paying proper attention to the road up there… can mean not crashing down here…”

Then a message at the bottom of the screen “obeying the speed limit, not the only thing you need to do to be a safe driver” as driver B’s remains are extracted from the car in the background.

Give the AFP Accident Squad a video camera for 6 months and show unedited footage of what real prangs actually look like.

Wouldn’t cost much, might open a few people’s eyes

I’ll support them, provided Minister Hargreaves is the posterboy.

The Minister weaves toward the camera, carkeys in hand and says “If you drink and drive, you’re a bloody idiot.”

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:59 pm 15 May 09

Hopefully we’ll get some very cool signs that we can laugh at.

Yep. Most, maybe all, people know the road rules perfectly well, as you’ll see when a marked cop car hoves into view. Suddenly they hit the anchors, stop tailgating, start indicating etc etc.

However, I expect that “road safety” just means speeding.

I’d rather see them spend that money on putting more police on the roads and catching the idiots.

Two identical cars, both traveling at 60 side by side. Driver A happens to be driving proactively, and notices a large truck approaching from the side of the road, well before the truck actually enters the road. Realising the truck isn’t stopping, driver A hits the brakes 30 metres before the point that the truck is entering the road… pulling up nicely with a few metres to spare. Driver B, paying passive attention to the task at hand… fiddling with the radio… chatting on the phone… first spots the truck as it enters the road, takes the estimated 2 seconds to react… goes to hit the brakes but runs underneath the truck at 60km/h, taking the top of the car off.

Then some sombre bloke then has to say “paying proper attention to the road up there… can mean not crashing down here…”

Then a message at the bottom of the screen “obeying the speed limit, not the only thing you need to do to be a safe driver” as driver B’s remains are extracted from the car in the background.

I’d like to see:

Help the ACT Budget – keep speeding.

Or

Keep your eye on the speedo – so you won’t notice how much we’ve run this place down.

But we’ll probably see:

Speeding is very very bad for you and probably harms our planet, doesn’t give you enough time to appreciate our public artwork, and Think Of The Children!!!

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