The need for road safety is relevant in whatever community, as everybody makes use of the streets daily in different forms of transportation. There is no wrong time to advocate for safer streets in your own sphere of influence. A solid road safety campaign potentially saves the lives of many people.
While there could already be many laws and regulations implemented by local and federal authorities, there is a need for a wider discussion of how road safety impacts individual communities.
Encouraging the people in your community to together be advocates for better practices on the road requires a solid strategy. These are some tips to create a road safety campaign that the residents in your area will pay attention to and follow through with.
Define the Problems First
Hold a meeting with your organization or the concerned people in your community to discuss what problems need to be addressed. Before you campaign to fix the issue, it is important to clearly define what you want to solve through the campaign.
During this period, do initial research on statistics of traffic accidents, especially in your local area. Do not just look at car accidents, too. Even injuries and deaths involving cyclists and pedestrians should be included in your report.
When you have put together accident trends and rates in your area, you gain a clearer idea of what matters are the most urgent for your community. This helps to shape the overall thrust of your campaign.
Listen to your residents
The team assigned to your road safety campaign becomes the voice for the residents in your community, as your efforts are to improve the lives of the people in the community. Find out what their biggest concerns are and make note of these as you continue to develop your campaign.
See how you can assist them, too, in their concerns. For instance, one of your neighbors might need the help of a car accident lawyer for a car accident that caused damage to them or their vehicle. You can also help to connect them with the right people to address the issues they are facing.
State Specific Goals for Your Campaign
Every local community’s needs vary from each other. Specify the concrete goals of your campaign after you have done your research.
Some goals that you can name are to encourage more people to walk, ride their bikes, or take public transportation. In addition to this, decongesting traffic on the road can also be another objective. Decreasing the number of accidents and fatalities is also an important goal to add.
Whatever goals you determine to pursue, let these be your guide in taking concrete actions to improve the road situation in your community.
Inform and Educate Others
To accomplish your goals, everyone involved—that is, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and all residents in general—should understand how exactly they can contribute to making the roads a safer place for everyone.
One way is to hold an information campaign both online and offline. For your online efforts, create a page on a social media platform such as Facebook to create informational content in different forms.
For example, post a promotional video that introduces your campaign and infographics about important road signs and what they mean. Your online content can double as printed flyers, too, that you can post on neighborhood bulletin boards or hand out to residents. You can also hold safety webinars or seminars for motorists and cyclists to help them better understand local traffic rules and the consequences of disobeying them.
Increase and improve your local road signages, too, so that travelers on the road are easily alerted of what they must do on the road. Stop signs, prohibited turns, and speed limits are some signages that should be easily visible to motorists.
Emphasize the dangers of distractions
One aspect of road safety that you should tackle is the dangers of driving under the influence and distracted driving and its legal consequences. These are some of the most common culprits of road accidents, and they are also easily avoidable if people drive responsibly on the road.
Encourage Alternate Modes of Transportation
As you encourage everyone, especially drivers, to travel safely, you should also encourage other modes of transportation, such as riding a bicycle and even walking. These are not only friendlier for the environment, but they also are healthier for everyone since they are a form of exercise in themselves.
In advocating for better road safety habits, look to sustainable practices, too, that contribute towards not only making roads safer, but also healthier for people in the long run.
