„Speeding kills. Start thinking” campaign launched
24.03.201011:39
Piotr
Start thinking because only then you will avoid road dangers. Of course, we believe that the crumple zones work, we believe that the airbags work, and we also believe that protective cages for vehicles work, but first of all, the most important thing is to think before road accident happens - and not after, and especially start thinking instead of speeding - said Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure Radosław Stępień on 24 March 2010 at the conference launching the campaign “Speeding kills. Start thinking”, organised by the National Road Safety Council (KRBRD).
Speed unsafe for the conditions, e.g. exceeding the speed limit, has been a contributing factor to car accidents in Poland. The campaign “Speeding kills. Start thinking”, implemented by KRBRD, is meant to draw public attention to dangers on roads caused by excessive speed, and make drivers aware that they are responsible for what happens on roads. The campaign started on 21 March 2010 and will last till 6 May 2010, i.e. from the beginning of spring, over the period of Easter and the longer weekend in May. It is a period of particularly high road traffic in Poland.
Excessive speed may mean exceeding the speed limit as well as speed unsafe for the conditions, i.e. atmosferic conditions and personality traits of drivers.
In 2009, Poland recorded the number of 44,185 road accidents, including 4,572 fatalities, and 56,028 injuries. The police were also informed of 381,769 road collisions. Though the numbers of road accidents and fatalities have been considerably decreasing, the accidents caused by speed unsafe for the conditions came up to 31% of all registered accidents (10,910), which left 1,432 dead (46% of all fatalities), and 15,876 injuries (34%).
The campaign is orgainised to arouse public debate on road accidents in Poland and promote new driving manners which disapprove of speeding, and unmask negative stereotypes road accidents.
It will cover all country and use such media as radio, television, outdoor advertising and Internet. The campaign will also use PR activities.
To strengthen communication and draw attention to the problem of road accidents in Poland, the conference was held in Warsaw, 24 March 2010. The meeting was accompanied by the show of a head-on collision of a vehicle with passengers crashing onto a hard surface at 80 km/h. The display, organised by the Automotive Industry Institute (PIMOT) and Student Scientific Circle, Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, is one of the few research tests of vehicle speed above 70 km/h in Europe.
