Transport for London’s (TfL’s) campaign to reduce the number of teenage road casualties in the Capital went viral last week, as grime artist ‘Wretch 32’ and London girl band ‘Stooshe’ took to YouTube to remind their fans to take care on London’s roads.
Alongside the YouTube ‘shout outs’, new campaign posters will be on display across London, featuring striking images to show the consequences of being distracted on the road.
A poster of a boy lying motionless on the road and clutching a mobile phone carries the strap-line: ‘My friend saw the text. He didn’t see the truck.’
An online game, which can only be played on desktop PCs or laptops, is also being released. It challenges the player to navigate themselves and their friends safely through London’s roads. The game highlights the importance of looking out for more than one person when on the road.
According to TfL, figures suggest that teenagers are heeding safety messages. The 2010 road casualty figures revealed that there had been 14% fewer teenage deaths or serious injuries on the Capital’s roads, with 258 teenagers (aged 13-19) killed or seriously injured, compared with 301 in 2009.
Ben Plowden, director of planning, surface transport at TfL, said: “The new posters address the many distractions teenagers may face while nearby or using the road. This is an important part of our ongoing work to save lives; the campaign builds on the success of previous years with the number of casualties falling every year.”
Click here to watch the Wretch 32 YouTube clip, or here to watch Stooshe.
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