16 August 2013

New campaign targets texting drivers

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Simon Corbell has announced the Don’t Let the Team Down campaign, which consists of two commercials that will begin airing tomorrow. These commercials will attempt to change the behaviour of those stupid enough to not already understand the dangers of texting while driving, by demonstrating how the practice could potentially interrupt sports games.

Simon then went on to give us commercial spoilers, which aren’t actually a thing.

“The TV commercials feature a rugby match and a cricket match that are lost due to players who are distracted by their mobile phones,” Mr Corbell said.

“The message behind this concept is very clear – drivers who use their mobile phone to text or call while driving are letting the team down.

“Research shows that using mobile phones while driving significantly increases casualty crash risk, and that using a mobile phone to read or write text messages is particularly risky.

“Despite the well documented risks, the government’s 2010 Community Road Safety Survey found that 17% of people surveyed reported using a handheld mobile phone when driving – 5% of those drivers said that they do this all the time.

“Canberra is a sport loving city, and I am sure that these new commercials will challenge the thinking of every Canberran when it comes to using mobile phones while driving.”

The Don’t Let the Team Down commercials will be broadcast from 17 August 2013 to 31 August 2013 on commercial television stations, including during the ad breaks of the Bledisloe Cup and the 5th Ashes Test.

The commercials will aprrently be able to be viewed online at www.justice.act.gov.au, but not just yet.

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WHAT? This isn’t a sick joke? Caring who wins a game is supposed to change people’s road safety behaviour, when safety messages won’t? Australia and Corbell are crazily sports obsessed.

IP

I had a pretty close shave on the Tuggeranong Parkway yesterday evening. The other party was a woman who was having an animated conversation on her phone while driving at speed in peak hour traffic in poor light. She seemed to be almost completely oblivious to what was going on around her as she attempted to change lanes into me.

And it would be a rare trip to work where I don’t see several people doing the same thing as they negotiate the Parkes Way roadworks in the morning.

It’s crazily dangerous behavior, and I really wish there was some way that it could be effectively policed so that people would stop doing it.Or, even better, it would be great if people stopped doing it not because of the threat of being caught, but out of a sense of responsibility to their families and to other people on the road.

bundah said :

“Canberra is a sport loving city, and I am sure that these new commercials will challenge the thinking of every Canberran when it comes to using mobile phones while driving.”

Really? FFS can we just replace this idiot with someone that is prepared to get serious about changing this mindless behaviour?

Hallelujah! Most of those idiots can hardly speak English, let alone know how to use a phone.

AsparagusSyndrome4:41 pm 17 Aug 13

People already make enough spelling errors when texting. It’s got to be much worse in a moving car when you have one hand on a steering wheel. Doesn’t anybody care about our literary standards?

I think a series of commercials involving English teachers, librarians, dictionary compilers and high quality authors should bring the point home.

Next time you are at an intersection stuck in traffic, look around and observe how many drivers are looking down into their laps… at the all important smart phone. I was rear ended by one of these dunces.

just watched the ads. They aren’t terrible but doubt it’ll change much. A ‘dobbing in’ system would be nice but doubt we’d ever see it as people would just abuse it

“Canberra is a sport loving city, and I am sure that these new commercials will challenge the thinking of every Canberran when it comes to using mobile phones while driving.”

Really? FFS can we just replace this idiot with someone that is prepared to get serious about changing this mindless behaviour?

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