Crash victim’s widow backs new business-led road safety initiative
Project Pictogram launched to national business community
The widow of a driver killed on the M27 has lent her support to a new business-led road safety initiative, launched today [Friday 11 March 2016] at the National Motor Museum , Beaulieu.
Project Pictogram encourages UK fleets and organisations to use a voluntary industry standard set of vehicle stickers to communicate the dangers of the ‘fatal four plus one’: inappropriate speed, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, drink/drug driving and not maintaining a safe braking distance. The campaign is business-led and supported by a number of road safety organisations including the DfT Think!, Road Safety GB, RoSPA, IAM and the Association of British Insurers.
Rachael Burton’s husband Kevin died on his way to work when his car was hit from behind by a lorry in March 2015. The motorway was closed for nearly 24 hours. Rachael said, “We all know roads in the South are very crowded. At the inquest into my husband’s death, I called for experienced motorists to concentrate on their driving and lose the distractions. We all need to get into better habits – keep stopping distances, reduce speed, dispose of the distractions, belt up. I support Project Pictogram because its simple vehicle stickers reinforce those good habits, when we need them most: on the road.”
Unlike most safety programmes, Project Pictogram is aimed at business drivers and commuters and is based on retail brand marketing techniques. Creator, Phil Palfrey said, “The backs of vehicles are well-known advertising locations; by taking a small part of that space for road safety pictograms, we can create brand awareness to influence behaviour. Driving is a herd activity; as Project Pictorgram positively influences large sections of the herd around these key risk-reducing driver behaviour habits, the wider group is likely to conform to the new safer practices being displayed. Safer, freer flowing roads deliver business profit protection.”
The initiative has already been adopted by a wide range of regional and national organisations including Argos, Colas, Green Flag, Homebase, T J Transport, Lucketts Coaches, Protyre, ACE Liftaway and Radian Housing. Many of these organisations attended the launch with their vehicles.
Every collision harms business and the economy. In 2011, the government estimated that lost hours caused by motorway closures cost the economy over £1 billion. The RAC estimates that having vehicles off the road costs small businesses £500 a day.
All the guidelines and artwork is available free of charge from www.hantsfire.gov.uk/project-pictogram. At around £2.50 per vehicle, cost of printing the five sticker set for the back doors of a multiple retailer’s entire fleet equates to the damage caused by one minor rear-end shunt or the trade disruption at one store resulting from a collision-related road closure.
Home Retail Group’s Health & Safety Manager, Andy Leigh said: “This is a great low cost initiative that provides a simple reminder of road safety rules that help to keep traffic flowing.”
Phil Palfrey said, “Project Pictogram is a powerful initiative that protects profit and guards against the prospect of staff injury or fatality. As businesses get involved, they can dive deeper with specific educational campaigns for their own staff and promote safer driving through other media, such as on-the-go coffee cups, insurance reminders and literature at tourist attractions.”
Project Pictogram now aims to attract other like-minded businesses to this positive movement. With artwork for a variety of sticker sets available for free online, the initiative is accessible to fleets and organisations of all sizes.
At the launch today, Rachael Burton told the audience of business leaders and fleet managers, “All businesses have a responsibility for ensuring the safety of their own staff and their communities. Project Pictogram is free to join, it belongs to us all and offers businesses a great way to involve their workers in the vital job of keeping the roads safe for all of us.”
ENDS
For further information, contact 360 integrated PR on 02381 845025
Philip Tutt 07785 718901 philip@360integrated.com
Rowena Spinks 07766 684707 rowena@360integrated.com
Editor’s Notes – Media organisations can take part in Project Pictogram and benefit from the CSR aspects by adopting the Pictograms as their own industry standard and:
Placing the Pictogram stickers on fleet vehicles e.g. sales cars
Including the driver education in their own staff travel plans
Using the Pictograms to highlight safe driving behaviours in print, on their websites and in association with travel messages.
Background information and pictures can be downloaded from http://news.cision.com/project-pictogram
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