#TIL- Social experiments for Road Safety
By Aishwarya Agarwal
In 2019, a video went viral on social media where drivers were stunned by a pop-up crossing in Quebec. The advertisement involved the pedestrians arriving at the crossing to cross the road while the speeding vehicles approached the stop sign. The yellow lines physically flipped up, forcing them to halt to give way to pedestrians. The experiment carried out by Quebec Automobile Insurance Corporation (SAAQ) puts pedestrian safety in the face of drivers, reminding them why a crossing is there in the first place. The experiment was a part of a campaign to raise a concern about road safety.
With traditional advertising and awareness campaigns becoming less effective, the initiative elucidated that a ‘shock encounter’ can lead to behavioural change for the better. Although it was a small-scale social experiment, it did hit the message right into the head with a lingering blow that cannot be ignored.
The non-traditional awareness campaigns have been marking the difference around the world- be it The Speed Camera Lottery of The Fun Theory concept implemented in Stockholm, experiential marketing campaign by Road Safety Authority France, the social experiment video by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, tactical urbanism trials in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and other Indian cities, to raise awareness about road safety.
It’s time that we take concerted efforts to fight against a public health crisis of gargantuan proportions — road traffic fatalities! In National Road Safety Month 2022, let’s join our hands to create safer streets for safer lives #SadakSurakshaJeevanRaksha
