Skip to main content

Public awareness and engagement key to making roads safer

Sustained public information campaigns on road safety can play a crucial role in reducing road fatalities on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) roads, according to a UK government marketing professional, whose public communication campaigns have helped reduce deaths on British roads by 45 per cent in the last decade.
April 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Sustained public information campaigns on road safety can play a crucial role in reducing road fatalities on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) roads, according to a UK government marketing professional, whose public communication campaigns have helped reduce deaths on British roads by 45 per cent in the last decade.

Emma Stranack, deputy director of external communications at the 5432 Department for Transport in the UK, said that raising and sustaining public awareness of the key risks of speeding, mobile phone use and not wearing seatbelts helps change attitudes about road safety, leading to safer and more considerate road behaviour.

Stranack has led the development and delivery of the UK Government’s Think! public awareness campaigns on road safety.  The campaigns, which include advertising, partnership marketing and digital engagement, have contributed to a 45 per cent reduction of road fatalities on British roads in the last decade – from 3,409 in 2000 to 1,850 in 2010.

She will be among an expert line-up of road safety experts at the sixth edition of the 224 Gulf Traffic Conference, taking place from the 12-13 December 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Centre.

Stranack will provide an overview of the role of communications in UK road safety at the conference, including case study examples of Think! campaigns covering priority issues such as speeding and wearing seatbelts.

Increasing road safety and reducing traffic are top priorities for regional governments, and are the main topics of discussion at the two-day Gulf Traffic Conference 2011.  The event will bring together leading regional and international road traffic and transportation experts.

“It is clear that the GCC region is taking road safety seriously and is making good progress in addressing the main issues,” added Stranack.  “Events such as Gulf Traffic 2011 should reinforce this by sharing best practice and insight from across the region and by reviewing international case studies to help inform the design of road safety measures.

“As part of the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety, I am honoured to represent the UK Department for Transport at the conference and share what we have learned about how communications can help contribute to reducing road casualties.”

Organised by Informa Exhibitions, the conference runs alongside the Gulf Traffic Exhibition, which has so far confirmed an exhibitor line-up of 149 contractors, manufacturers and suppliers from 27 countries in the Middle East and overseas.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Vulnerable road users face greater risks on Europe’s road network
    May 21, 2014
    Data shows that vulnerable road users are benefiting less from improved road safety. This has been revealed in the 2014 Road Safety Annual Report, which highlights latest road safety data. The number of road fatalities fell by 1.7% between 2011 and 2012 in the 31 countries covered by the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD), according to the International Transport Forum at the OECD. However, road safety policies are not succeeding in improving protection for vulnerable road users. The l
  • Road safety challenge for Europe
    June 25, 2012
    The latest official figures on road safety in Europe are giving cause for concern, with data showing that casualty reduction has slowed. EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas recently announced disappointing progress in casualty reduction on Europe's roads. The joint European police association, TISPOL, has added that it is also concerned that improvements in cutting fatalities on Europe’s roads significantly slowed in 2011. The overall figure shows a reduction of just 2% in the total number of people kille
  • UK construction firms eye 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar projects
    June 27, 2012
    UK construction sector firms are being urged to attend an event outlining commercial opportunities linked to the development of US$140 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Qatar ahead of the Gulf state’s hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During MEED’s Qatar Infrastructure Projects conference, being held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London from July 2-5, Middle East company formation experts The Links Group will provide insight to companies interested in entering the Qatari project market.
  • Key IRF congress and exhibition in Abu Dhabi
    February 9, 2012
    The 2nd IRF Middle East Regional Congress will be held from 29 November to 1 December at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This special event is being convened under the Patronage of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including the association of all major agencies involved in roads and ground transportation, led by the Department of Municipal Affairs; Abu Dhabi Municipality; Al Ain Municipality; Western Municipality, and Abu Dhabi