Achieving our road safety vision requires concerted effort in a number of areas, especially publicity. In 2013, the Council strengthened its existing publicity tools and created new platforms to highlight the most pressing road safety concerns in order to sustain the momentum of road safety awareness in the community.

The Council, the Police Traffic Branch Headquarters and the Traffic New Territories North conducted the Anti-drink Driving Campaign 2013 Kick-off Ceremony cum Road Safety Carnival at Tai Po Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square on 27th October, 2013, to enhance anti-drink driving knowledge amongst the public through publicity and education.

Drink Driving

The number of drivers arrested in traffic accidents involving drink driving increased by 1 % from 231 in 2012 to 234 in 2013. The Council is working to enhance public awareness of road safety through publicity and education. To remind people not to drive after drinking, the Council continues its use of the slogan “If you drink, don’t drive” to disseminate its message to all sectors of society.

To combat drink driving, leaflets and roadside banners were produced to remind members of 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 term of imprisonment and driving disqualification period. The Council also deployed bus body advertisements to reinforce the anti-drink driving message, and launched publicity events with the Hong Kong Police Force in entertainment areas throughout the territory.

The campaign against drink driving has also taken place through pro-active events. 600 stickers to promote the anti-drink driving message were placed on parking meters throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Existing anti-drink driving banners placed on flyovers were relocated to better deliver their messages to drivers and other road users. Leaflets and souvenirs with the slogan “If you drink, don’t drive” were distributed, particularly in major entertainment areas during the festive periods, such as Christmas, the Lunar New Year and long holidays.

We will continue to conduct anti-drink driving publicity campaigns and the Police will increase the use of random breath tests.

Drug Driving

In recent years, the Council has faced a new challenge – an increase in drug driving accidents. In order to impose more severe deterrents to drug driving and provide the Police with powers necessary to combat drug driving effectively, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 was enacted on March 15, 2012. To publicise the legislative amendment and to alert drivers to the possible effects of drugs on their driving ability, the Council formulated a publicity and education plan to highlight these dangers. This included the broadcasting of two Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) on radio and television, along with a range of publicity materials including the leaflet “Drug Driving – Never Risk it”.

The Council and the Police Traffic Branch Headquarters held “Anti-Drink and Anti-Drug Driving Campaign 2013 Kick-off Ceremony” at O’Brien Road in Wan Chai on 13th December 2013. It enhanced to remind people not to drive after taking drink and drug during the festive period to avoid the possibility of endangering the lives of themselves and the others.

In addition, anti-drug driving banners with the slogans “Drug Driving – Never Risk It” and “Drug Driving – Zero Tolerance” were placed on flyovers and footbridges above strategic roads with high traffic volumes, and advertisements were displayed on bus bodies.

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 high numbers of 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 Campaign Kick-off Ceremony cum Bus Parade in Yuen Long” was jointly organised by Road Safety Council, Hong Kong Police Force, Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol and Yuen Long District Council on 24th May at Yuen Long Theatre to promote pedestrian and cycling safety with a view to reminding the elderly to use road crossing facilities.

In order to bring the issue of elderly pedestrian safety to the attention of the general public, the Council, the Yuen Long District Council, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Road Safety Patrol jointly held the Elderly Pedestrian Safety Bus Parade in Yuen Long District in 2013. Members of the public were encouraged to share the message of “Love yourself, Love your family, Be a smart pedestrian” with their friends and family members.

Safe Cycling

The safety of recreational and functional cyclists continues to be a concern despite the number of traffic accidents involving bicycles decreasing from 2,582 in 2012 to 2,549 in 2013.

Pamphlets conveying relevant traffic regulations, responsibilities of cyclists on the road and best practices when using cycling tracks have been widely distributed to cyclists, pedestrians and persons who employ cyclists for rural and urban goods delivery.

The Council and the Hong Kong Police Force conducted three large-scale publicity campaigns on 6th July. These campaigns were the “Summer Safe Cycling cum Safe Cycling Ambassadors Appointment Ceremony” at Tai Po Waterfront Park Amphitheatre, the “Regional Road Safety Publicity Campaign” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the “Safe and Joyful Crossing in Hong Kong Carnival cum Cycling Safety Kick Off Ceremony” at King Lam Estate, Tseung Kwan O. The campaigns promoted safe cycling and the importance of wearing a helmet and other protective equipment. Members also gave out leaflets to spread cycling safety messages to the public in the campaigns.

To promote cycling safety, the Transport Department launched an internet-based Cycling Information Centre (CIC) to provide the public with convenient access to information on cycling, including safety. The CIC provides up-to-date information and reference materials such as riding rules, safety tips and laws relevant to cyclists and other road users to help create a safe cycling environment.

The kindergarten children performed in “Elderly Road Safety Campaign Kick-off Ceremony cum Bus Parade in Yuen Long” to promote the road safety message to the elderly.		Performing guests acted in “Summer Safe Cycling cum Safe Cycling Ambassadors Appointment Ceremony”
A safe cycling campaign held at Tseung Kwan O. It enhanced cycling safety awareness of the public.		The officiated guests kick-off the “Summer Safe Cycling cum Safe Cycling Ambassadors Appointment Ceremony” at the Tai Po Waterfront Park Amphitheatre

Safe Driving and Health Campaign

Every year, to enhance the safe driving skills and health awareness of commercial vehicle drivers, the Transport Department runs the Safe Driving and Health Campaign. A wide range of services and activities were provided in the 2013 campaign. These included the dissemination of safe driving and health messages through radio stations and other publicity channels, and the provision of free health checks to commercial vehicle drivers through co-operation with non-profit medical organisations.

Targeted Safety Messages

The broadcasting of APIs on various media platforms is an important and effective tool to promote road safety messages to the community. Several different APIs promoted the Council’s four main themes – anti-drug driving, anti-drink driving, cycling safety and elderly pedestrian safety – and will continue to be broadcast on television. As more people are taking up cycling, the Council invited London 2012 Olympic Bronze Medallist Ms Sarah Lee Wai-sze to film a new API on cycling safety, reminding all road users that bicycles and motor vehicles have an equal right to use the road and that motorists and cyclists should respect each other, among other tips for a safe cycling environment. The API was broadcast on television in early 2013 and is available on YouTube and at the Council’s website.

In November, the Road Safety Council 40th Anniversary Ceremony was held at Discovery Park in Tsuen Wan, with the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, officiating alongside the Chairman of the Council, Mr Stephen Lo Wai-chung, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) and other prominent guests and officials. Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Cheung said that the Council would continue to disseminate road safety messages to the public through education, publicity and enforcement. He called on the public to join together in pursuit of the vision of “Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong’s Goal”. Ms Kandy WONG and Ms Nancy Sit also sang the new version of the road safety theme song ‘Be patient on road’ for the first time.

The Council website
(road_safety_campaigns2013.html)

The Council website recorded an average of 3,544 daily visits in 2013. The website, which contains a range of road safety features and provides online access to all of the Council’s publications, 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 platforms to best reach target audiences with tailored messages.

The Council celebrated its 40th anniversary at a ceremony held on 3rd November 2013 in the Discovery Park Shopping Centre in Tsuen Wan. The ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor CHEUNG Bing-leung, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) and RSC Chairman Mr LO Wai-chung, and two RSC Ambassadors (Ms Nancy SIT and Ms Kandy WONG).
In RSC 40th Anniversary Ceremony, there was great interest in a display of current and veteran police motorcycles, which showed the evolution of police motorcycles since 1940s.		A supporting exhibition in RSC 40th Anniversary Ceremony displayed historical posters and pictures, showing the contribution made by the RSC over the past 40 years.