To improve knowledge of the rules and laws of traffic we decided to take the initiative and plan a game, as we believe it is the best method to generate a strong impact in today's society.
The ideas
Although there are so many aspects of road safety, we focused mainly on the issue of traffic signals and especially the importance of traffic lights. We wanted pedestrians to be aware of how they used their cellphones in order to create a culture of respect for traffic laws and drivers.
The themes that we selected as we designed our project were based on the problems that we see in our city. We observed how traffic laws in our community are constantly violated, and how this displays a lack of respect for the safety of everyone, vehicle drivers and pedestrians. We thought that this was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of and respect for traffic laws in a striking way.
An enquiry about the issue of road safety and the road network allowed us to realise more easily the risks that road safety brings and problems with driver behaviour. We could conclude that awareness must be an active part of the culture as a person is, and that this would reduce mortality levels in traffic accidents. All of these issues have a significant impact since the rate of mortality due to road accidents in Venezuela is one of the highest in South America. Motorist awareness of these issues is very low, and their level of knowledge about traffic laws is even lower. This topic is relevant as it has directly affected thousands of Venezuelan families in recent years.
The initiatives
We decided to take the initiative and create video games, as we believe it is the best method to generate a strong impact in today's society. We had seen many talks and informational videos on this topic and it seemed to us that by creating something interactive we could reach beyond other forms of communication, with the campaign mostly aimed young people as the drivers of the future.
We based our game concepts on sections of road that we identified as dangerous for road users. We took into account the lack of road safety education, that we feel should begin at an early age. Our main goal was to raise awareness in society about the importance of respecting the transit rules through the unique and innovative media of games, which allow the player to learn and be entertained at the same time.
We wanted to use this initiative to transmit an informative message that would make people think exactly what it means to be a vehicle user. This message would convey that you are responsible for your own life, the life of the person sitting next to you and other road users.
We wanted to get the message over that even a small error can cause an accident: jumping a red light, or sending a text message, or not understanding road signage. The good thing about this initiative is that games can appeal to the youngest or the oldest of our citizens. However we wanted our initiative to focus on children, as we believe that most accidents could be avoided if young people receive more information and are made more aware.
To cause a change in society, our end product should be conspicuous, educational, fun and innovative. The public should have ready access to the game (download), that would consist of different levels that allow players to learn and make informed, scenario-based decisions. To achieve this we consulted with experts in the field.
The impact of our initiative will be assessed through surveys where users can express how effective the initiative was on an individual level. We will also include an option whereas the player can send us suggestions to make the initiative even more effective.
http://trafficontrollergame.blogspot.com.es/
