Publicity

The achievement of our road safety vision will require concerted efforts in all dimensions of which publicity is a major one.  In 2010, the Council has strengthened its existing publicity tools and employed new platforms to highlight the most pressing road safety concerns to sustain the momentum of road safety work in the community.

On-Road Focus

Flyover Banners		Wrecked Vehicle

The campaign against drink driving continues, with the Council carrying on from its 2009 initiatives.  Flyover banners in areas with high traffic volumes were updated with a new look. Leaflets with the slogan 'If you drink, don't drive!' were distributed during the festive seasons, especially Christmas and the Lunar New Year, and long holidays.  The wrecked vehicle originally displayed at the entrance of the Cross Harbour Tunnel was relocated to Sham Shui Po to serve as a stark reminder of the grave consequences of drink driving.



In order to promote the Road Traffic (Amendment) Ordinance 2010, which introduced measures to combat drink driving, roadside banners and leaflets were produced specifically reminding the public that penalties rise in scale with the severity of the offence – the higher the proportion of alcohol in excess of the prescribed limit, the longer the driving disqualification period.  The Council also deployed bus-body advertisements to promote the amended legislation and reinforce the anti-drink driving message.

The number of drivers arrested in traffic accidents involving drink driving dropped by 25% from 287 in 2009 to 214 in 2010.  This indicates the increasing awareness of drivers who are responding to our anti-drink driving publicity campaigns as well as the random breath tests conducted by the Police.

During the year, the Council was presented with a new challenge - an increase in drug driving offences. Responding to the need to raise public awareness, the Council produced a new Announcement in the Public Interest (API) on drug driving.  Furthermore, a leaflet worded 'Make sure you know the effects of your drug medication before driving' was produced to remind the public of the dangers and legal responsibilities on driving after taking medication.

In July, the Council launched the Road Safety Message Design Competition to help promoting road safety messages through community participation.  Members of the public were invited to design posters and produce one-minute videos on selected themes, including 'Elderly Pedestrian Safety', 'Safe Cycling', 'Anti-drink Driving' and 'Anti-drug Driving'.  A dedicated website was set up for the competition which attracted an overwhelming response with over 500 entries recorded.  The Road Safety Guard, a figure created by the Council, became a popular icon in anti-drink driving and anti-drug driving publicity campaigns.

In November, the 2010 Road Safety Annual Launching Ceremony cum Award Presentation for Road Safety Message Design Competition was held at Park Central Shopping Centre, Tseung Kwan O. Officiated by the then Chairman of the Council, Mr TSANG Wai-hung, and other prominent guests and officials, the ceremony recorded over 800 participants from the general public and the transport trade.  In his opening speech, Mr TSANG praised and thanked various sectors for their efforts in making Hong Kong a safer place for all road users.  He believed that the positive action-hero image of the Road Safety Guard would help bolster the momentum of road safety awareness among the public and contribute towards Hong Kong's vision of 'Zero Accidents on the Road'.

Elderly Pedestrian Safety

Publicity activities throughout the year continued to address the safety of elderly pedestrians.  The Council worked closely with District Councils to conduct education and publicity campaigns in areas with relatively more traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians.  Much of this work focused on pedestrian education and, with the assistance of Elderly Road Safety Ambassadors, the elderly were reminded to use proper road crossing facilities, such as traffic light controlled crossings, zebra crossings, pedestrian flyovers and pedestrian subways.



Elderly Road Safety Bus Parades were held in Kwun Tong, Yuen Long and Wan Chai in March, June and September respectively with over 8,000 leaflets and souvenirs distributed to the public.  The Council's Road Safety Ambassador, renowned actress Ms TSE Suet-sum, reminded the elderly of road safety and echoed the slogan: 'Love yourself, Love your family, Be a smart pedestrian'.

Safe Cycling

The safety of recreational and occupational cyclists continues to be a concern.  Pamphlets conveying relevant traffic regulations, responsibilities of cyclists on roads and best practices in relation to the use of cycling tracks have been widely distributed to cyclists, pedestrians and persons who employ cyclists for rural and urban delivery.  In April, the Council joined hands with the Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol to distribute safe-cycling leaflets in the New Territories.



In July, the Council and the Sha Tin District Council jointly held the annual summer safe-cycling gala - 'Smart Cyclist Got Talent 2010'.  Sha Tin has a large population of cyclists.  The campaign focused on educating people to cycle safely during daytime and at night, disseminating safe-cycling tips at the same time.  The enthusiasm of the 1,000 participants did not diminish even in the hot weather.

Highlighting Our Vision - Zero Accidents

The Council endeavours to deliver road safety messages to the community by various means and platforms.  These include distributing souvenirs bearing the Council's logo, vision and road safety slogans, and broadcasting throughout the territory the 'Road Safety Vision Song'.  In February and March, the music video of the 'Road Safety Vision Song' was broadcast on the RoadShow in 1,600 buses.

Targeting Safety Messages

An important tool for promoting road safety is to broadcast APIs through different media platforms so as to appeal to different target groups.  In 2010, two APIs were produced to raise public awareness on elderly pedestrian safety and the serious consequences of drug driving.  The elderly pedestrian safety API was on air in local TV and radio channels in August and the drug driving radio API was launched in December. 



The Council also explored new channels to broadcast road safety APIs.  Apart from the radio and TV channels, the APIs were also played at lift lobbies of public housing estates, LED panels outside community halls, the Asia Airfreight Terminal and other conspicuous locations.  Over the Christmas and Lunar New Year period, the Council also delivered anti-drink driving messages through mega outdoor TV screens at Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, and TV systems inside more than 120 eateries across the city.

The Road Safety Council Website (www.roadsafety.gov.hk) recorded an average of 3,120 visits daily last year, an increase of 20% when compared with 2009.  The website, which contains a range of road safety features and provides online access to all Council publications with useful statistics and hyperlinks, aims to effectively disseminate road safety information to the general public.

The Council will continue to explore the use of all media avenues to best tailor messages for target audiences.

For further information on 'road safety publicity and campaigns', please visit: http://www.roadsafety.gov.hk/eng/campaign/road_safety_campaigns.html

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