| If we can't kill speed with advertising, we can by criminalising it, writes Christian Wolmar |
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It's time you put your foot down, minister |
| 1 | | | No parent watching the road safety advertising | | | | | head of client services, identifies the following |
| | | campaign featuring home videos of children | | | 35 | | widespread views that prevent speeding being |
| | | killed by speeding motorists can fail to be moved. | | | | | seen as socially unacceptable: it is considered to |
| | | The very clumsiness of the videos, badly lit images | | | | | be a minor offence; everyone thinks they are a |
| 5 | | of children larking about or sitting quietly on a | | | | | good driver; and, finally, the legislation is not |
| | | sofa, makes them all the more painful. Today, the | | | | | properly enforced. |
| | | second phase begins, with radio advertisements | | 5 | 40 | | To make speeding a more serious issue is to |
| | | featuring the voices of relatives of those killed | | | | | challenge the unrestricted right of motorists to use |
| | | talking about their loss and stressing the need for | | | | | their cars as they wish. But it would be effective. |
| 10 | | more careful driving. | | | | | There would be very little speeding if you lost your |
| 2 | | | But the very power of these advertisements | | | | | licence every time. Or if you were fined £500 or |
| | | raises a problem, for the campaign against spee- | | | 45 | | £1,000 for being 10 miles per hour over the limit. |
| | | ding has run for five years and there have been | | 6 | | | Widespread enforcement could be introduced. |
| | | few signs of any impact. Drink driving, by con- | | | | | Every time speed cameras are installed, the police |
| 15 | | trast, has been drastically reduced thanks to a | | | | | and ministers say this is only a way to prevent |
| | | marked change in social acceptability stimulated | | | | | speeding and not to raise revenu. But why not? |
| | | by effective advertising. The fundamental problem | | | 50 | | Speed cameras cost £27,000 each. Why not turn |
| | | is that we are all guilty. Everyone with a driver’s | | | | | them on all the time, ensure that everyone caught |
| | | licence has broken the speeding laws. It is, | | | | | is actually fined, and spend the money on installing |
| 20 | | indeed, the likes of us who are still responsible for | | | | | yet more cameras? In short, if ministers really |
| | | the vast majority of the 1,200 deaths each year - | | | | | think that speeding is as serious as drink-driving, |
| | | including 160 children - caused by excessive | | | 55 | | then they have to criminalise it. |
| | | speed, a third of those killed on the roads. | | 7 | | | In addition, there should be an invasion of |
| 3 | | | The failure of past campaigns led the Depart- | | | | | traffic humps and other measures. Virtually the |
| 25 | | ment of Transport’s new advertising agency, | | | | | whole roads budget could be spent on this in an |
| | | Abbott Mead Vickers, to give it all it’s got with its | | | | | emergency programme that would transform |
| | | innovative campaign. The shock treatment was | | | 60 | | streets in built-up areas. |
| | | necessary “because drivers are very resistant.They | | 8 | | | Of course such moves would delight motorists - |
| | | see accidents and crashes on telly all the time, and | | | | | and that means most voters - as much as following |
| 30 | | we had to break through people’s indifference.” | | | | | a caravan up a windy mountain road. But at least |
| 4 | | | The difficulty for the campaigners is that | | | | | many families would be spared the prospect of |
| | | speeding is so deeply ingrained. It is part of the | | | 65 | | being asked for video footage of their dead chil- |
| | | culture of using cars. Cilla Snowball, the agency’s | | | | | dren for the next campaign. |
