Safe Speed Forums

One of the difficulties facing the authorities when putting together Road Safety messages is striking the balance between 'simple and punchy' and 'not misleading'. The current 30mph THINK ad is case in point.
So how about this one?
RAF pilots are taught a simple Flight Safety mantra...whatever happens, first of all fly the aircraft. It is based on the hard learned lesson that too many crashes have been caused by pilots becoming distracted and, literally, flying into the ground.
I reckon this could be modified to a simple message for drivers...Just Drive the Car. The underlying message would be, don't eat a Mars Bar, use your phone, put your make-up on or whatever. Just drive your car...simple.

I love simple messages, and I'm working on some simple but vital messages that I hope will develop into "ten commandments".

But this "just drive the car" isn't a high priority. Many of us can effectively and safely manage physical distractions. A better spin on the idea would be: "don't lose concentration" or "pay attention" but the problem is that these things aren't well covered by intent.

Attention and concentration improve substantially with experience. So perhaps the best message in this area would be intended to help newer drivers to concentrate?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I agree fuly with Paul on the "Attention and concentration improve substantially with experience" aspect, and would still invite my other half to have a Mars bar if she felt a hypo was about to come on - oh, and I'd still pass a razor over my beard on route to an important afternoon meeting if I felt my 5pm shadow was intrusive. BUT.. as a commandment for beginners and inexperienced drivers, I like "just drive the car" a lot.

As a slogan it's lot better than "speed kills" IMO.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Absolutely - but then that's not saying a lot is it?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Fair point. But the thing is "Just drive the car", unlike the other one, doesn't mention any individual factor. Less confusing, less misinterpretation. Nobody wants to crash, so although it doesn't mention safety it's kind of implied.

Edit: thinking about it maybe my perspective on it as a slogan is influenced by not being new to driving anymore. To me it's a positive message, that is it says more about what you should do than what you shouldn't. I wouldn't see it on an advert and think about not using the phone or not eating. I'd be thinking about observation, space and all those other things that we do to drive a car safely. 'Course, that might also be from seeing COAST so often from the IAM mob round here .

I think it'd be interesting to see what a new driver makes of it. Next time I speak to L plated lil' sister I'll ask her what it would mean to her if used as a slogan.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

That's a really good approach - of course these things will mean different things to different people and it'd be highly interesting to get the opinions of learner drivers / new drivers.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Actually I decided WTH, I'll ask everyone in the family, starting with Mrs Gatsobait before she had a chance to look around here and see this (didn't want to have any influence on her answer). She initially said "What?" and "Get us a cuppa while I think about it", but once suitably caffeinated pretty much regurgitated COAST and other IAM stuff at me, which is pretty much the same interpretation I had. Okay, not a brilliant sample... one IAM trained driver with 16 years on the road (and passed 1st time and did IAM within a couple of years - bloody swot she is ) and one regular driver with 15 years on the road who's had tips from the first one and hangs around a forum packed with advanced drivers. I'll find out what others say when I see them.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein