Many road accidents are caused by distractions that can easily be avoided. By eliminating unnecessary distractions many needless road deaths can be avoided.
The ideas
We started to make a research on the causes of accidents and we found out that 25% of car accidents are caused by distractions such as kids who are not properly seated, cell phones, loud music, and animals in the cars. Drivers who are usually not good at concentrating and cannot stay focused tend to cause the most accidents. Toddlers who are not seated and buckled in are a main cause of distraction. These kids cannot be properly managed by the driver and can easily divert the driver’s attention away from the road.
Cell phones are a grave concern when it comes to road accidents. Most car accidents are caused by cell phone calls and text messages made while driving. The driver’s attention is diverted away from driving and he could easily miss a moment when he was supposed to reach in order to avoid an accident.
Drunk driving is another major cause of road accidents. In south Africa, people who are caught driving drunk can be fined up R20000 or even sentenced to prison. The maximum blood-alcohol percentage allowed in South Africa is 0,05%.
Some of the worst accidents with most casualties are caused by speeding. Apart from fatalities, road accidents also often have other permanent repercussions, such as disabilities.
Reckless drivers cause needless deaths, killing innocent people and stealing loved one from their families.
The initiatives
Initially we planned to make a short TV-commercial to inform the viewers of the dangers of being distracted while driving.
1. A young girl in a ballerina-tutu is filmed dancing in the street. She has a dream of becoming a ballerina.
2. On the same road, a family travels in a car on their way to visit family.
3. While they are driving, a young child who is not buckled in distracts the driver.
4. The driver accidentally hits the young ballerina.
5. Finally, the young ballerina sits in a wheelchair, unable to use her legs.
We progressed well with shooting and editing, but in the last week the computer we were using to work on our video crashed and we lost all the video footage.
As an emergency measure we decided to make a simple presentation with the information we had gathered during our research. Unfortunately this presentation is not nearly as effective as the video would have been. We shared our video in two classes (about 70 learners) and our objective was to make them reflect on the the dangers of distracted driving. Our message is: If you know the rules of the road and follow and apply them, you, your family and those who share the road with you are safer. Make the difference and set the example!
