A new campaign calls on bikers to be aware of the consequences of dangerous and careless riding throughout the two-week long 2014 Isle of Man TT festival (24/5 – 6/6/14).
The campaign’s central message, ‘For All Our Sakes, Slow Down’, is underlined by two images; one shows a crashed motorcycle in a bin with the message ‘Don’t Bin It’, and the others shows an injured biker heading home on crutches with message ‘Biker to Foot Passenger’.
The campaign, developed by the Department of Infrastructure and Isle of Man Constabulary, will run on banners and billboards at UK and Irish ports that visiting fans will pass through on their way to the Isle of Man, as well as around the TT course and at campsites. It also includes radio and press ads, and members of the Isle of Man road safety team will be out and about talking to visitors and locals.
The campaign is intended to reach all road users and includes an information leaflet for Island children, warning them to be aware of the dangers on the roads.
Chief constable Gary Roberts, Isle of Man Constabulary, said: ‘Even more than ever before, the Isle of Man Constabulary’s focus during this year’s TT will be on road safety.
“Quite simply, we will be doing all that we can to make sure that everyone who lives here or who is visiting for the event stays safe. However, everyone has a part to play in this and visiting bikers must pay attention to safety messages that form part of this campaign.”
For more information contact Gordon Edwards, road safety manager, on 01624 686901.
Referring back to my previous posting about the campaign aimed at visiting bikers who are used to driving on the right, it worked because (a) it informed all road users of a hazard and (b) gave them advice to reduce the hazard.
I predict the “Don’t bin it” and “Slow Down” messages proposed in this campaign will fail because they do not address hazards, nor will they be well received by the target population.
Eric Bridgstock, Independent Road Safety Research, St Albans
0
Would it not send out a stronger, starker message if the road safety fraternity in the Isle of Man disassociated themselves completely with the event?
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
0
In the mid 1990s, when I chaired the London & Herts RoSPA Advanced Drivers group, I arranged a talk by an Isle of Man road safety officer. He said the main problem during the TT was bikers from the UK and continent approaching each other on single track roads and the “foreigners” veering to the right to pass, as they would in their country – the results often being tragic head-on collisions.
The solution was a series of posters/signs saying “lean left” or something like that, which led to a dramatic improvement. Just goes to show how important it is to understand what causes collisions in order to have a chance of preventing them.
Eric Bridgstock, Independent Road Safety Research, St Albans
0
The photograph is an achievement in itself, getting three people to blink at the same time can’t have been easy!
On a more serious note it’s great to see so many organisations with an interest in road safety working together, looks like Fire and Rescue and the Ambulance Service are also involved.
The TT is a fantastic experience with over a hundred years of history and having ridden around the circuit at very moderate speeds I have nothing but deep admiration for those that race around there. Encouraging the general public to ride responsibly all the time is a very difficult task but it looks as though this intends to be a very high profile campaign.
It would be interesting to hear post the TT what they feel has worked and why, as well as anything that didn’t. Perhaps an invitation could be made to the relevant person to attend one of the upcoming Motorcycle Conferences? I wish them every success.
Mike Wilson Leics RSO
0
Anyone who’s worked in a LA traffic and road safety department or otherwise dealt with complaints of speeding traffic, will be familiar with the emotive cry from residents of “..it’s like a racetrack outside my house!”
In the case of the Isle of Man, at certain times it would appear to actually be a true statement.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
0
Let’s face it, the TT encourages both experienced and inexperienced riders to push the limits of bike and themselves to destruction. We are, however, lucky that more people don’t kill of seriously injure themselves. It’s easy to say that one death is one death too many and I would not disagree, but should they be encouraged to be in that situation where the normal laws of the land re: speed are temporarily suspended. Testosterone mixed with adrenalin, accompanied by peer pressure, is a bad even fatal mix.
bob craven Lancs
0