PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CAMPAIGN 2005

Focus & Objective
The focus of this campaign was on pedestrians, a group that cannot be over emphasised as annually they represent 1/3 of all accident fatalities. The overall goal of the campaign was to reduce the number of adult pedestrian fatalities and, in keeping with the Unit’s 3year plan (05-08), contribute to a 15% decrease over the 3 year period.

Target Audience
The primary target in this instance was pedestrians; adult pedestrians, as the past two years had shown a reduction in child pedestrian fatalities which could be attributed to previous campaigns focussing on children as well as our continued effort in schools. Special attention was paid to pedestrians in the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon and St. James.

Message
The belief was that in addition to telling motorists to look out for pedestrians, which had been done in the past, pedestrians need to be made aware of the role they play in accidents, whether or not these accidents result in injuries. They need to be educated as to appropriate behaviour in avoiding accidents. The tagline “WALK GOOD” (referred to in previously developed plans), was felt to be ideally suited for this campaign.

Activities and Schedule
Public Service Announcements
Two advertisements were placed on television stations TVJ and CVM, and radio versions of the same were placed on four radio stations RJR 94, Power 106, Irie Fm and Radio 2. These ads ran from October to November.

Outside Broadcast
A total of 3 broadcasts were hosted by the Unit in Clarendon, St. James and St. Catherine. These are the three parishes with the highest incidents of pedestrian fatalities. The first broadcast was done on September 27th 2005 in May Pen Clarendon and was used to launch the campaign. The second broadcast was on October 26, 2005 in Montego Bay, St. James, and the final broadcasts took place in Linstead, St. Catherine on November 29, 2005. All the broadcasts were carried on Hot 102 FM during their Hot Mix programme hosted by ‘Richie B’.

Distribution of Literature
Flyers focusing on pedestrian safety were distributed at all the broadcast locations,