Train adverts

[merv]

OK I know we talked about it here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=53747 as if it was a Toll NZ campaign but its being supported by a number of organisations including the Chris Cairns Foundation. Starting Monday if you are riding your bike (or driving your cage) don't become a statistic on the railway track otherwise you might spoil the safety awareness week. Seriously though, no matter what day of the week or week of the year (not just safety week) keep away from trains, they are seriously heavy and hurt if they hit you.

Land Transport NZ has guff about it here http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/media/2007/070718.html including small copies of the adverts on this page here http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/advertising/rail.html

Don't get pwned.

[Usarka]

you need a safety campaign to tell people not to get run over by a train??????

[merv]

Yeah the problem is the dead guys never pass their learning on to the rest.

[Usarka]

Are we going to see some "hard hitting" safety campaigns about looking out for motorcyclists also? thought not.

[merv]

ACC did one of those - do you reckon it had no effect?

[Usarka]

never saw it - so it cant of been very "hard hitting". have seen those laughable cartoon "watch for biker" stickers though, bet they make drivers think.

[Little Miss Trouble]

lol just like the "bikes just appear at intersections" radio ads? - read 'all bikers speed, thats why they appear so fast' its a load of b/s, i bet heaps more bikers are seriously hurt/killed by moronic car drivers than people killed at train crossings (don't know where to find statisics) yet they still want to imply its our fault?

[Chrislost]

you need a safety campaign to tell people not to get run over by a train??????

trains are really hard to see man!
i know for a fact that i can only see them a few km away(if the rails are straight)

[Albino]

Don't see a train = kill yourself.

Don't see a bike = kill an innocent party.

Which campaign gets more funding?

[merv]

Until now, I guess neither of them. The focus has been too much on speed and alcohol and not on the minority fatality statistics. So who can lobby for bikes then?

[Roj]

lol just like the "bikes just appear at intersections" radio ads? - read 'all bikers speed, thats why they appear so fast' its a load of b/s, i bet heaps more bikers are seriously hurt/killed by moronic car drivers than people killed at train crossings (don't know where to find statisics) yet they still want to imply its our fault?

Strange that, there was a recent awareness campaign where ACC and police with I think it was Ulyssess were promoting intersection awareness I read about in the NZ Herald, and they mentioned the ACC statistics showed that 75% of motorcycle accidents the rider was NOT at fault.

[Albino]

The rail safety campaign is a perfect example of how things get done in this country. Media hype.

Trouble is, the media are clever. They know that everyone drives a car and therefore can picture themselves or their family getting smashed by a train. It’s easy to get people interested in a topic when it affects them (the old “what’s in it for me” trick).

Unfortunately though most people don’t ride bikes so no one really cares when a biker gets killed. Yeah yeah I have to look for bikers but at the end of the day I don’t see one then I’ll probably be ok so it’s no big deal. Unlike hitting a train. The media aren’t going to help us on this because it won’t equate to higher ratings or more sales.

So what do we do? Lobby the government for some coverage? Here’s what happens to lobbyists: they either get labelled as extremist whingers, or they get thrown a bone to appease them. Especially when the subject doesn’t directly affect the people being lobbied – there are lots of drivers in government, few if any bikers. The bone is usually a half-arsed attempt (like cheap radio ads or those cartoon watch for bikes stickers) that aren’t affective (see paragraph 3).

Maybe the answer doesn’t lie just in adverstising, but needs to go back to driver training – get the right skills to sink in at the start. Are there currently any road safety iniatives involving driver skills being introduced though these sorts of channels? Or is advertising campaigns and enforcement the only options in the arsenal to combat poor driving……

[ManDownUnder]

you need a safety campaign to tell people not to get run over by a train??????

Hell yes - look at the amount of denial around cops targetting the ATNR ....

[imdying]

Only retards get run over by trains, we are doing the country a disservice by preventing these people from eliminating themselves from the gene pool.

[kro]

Sweet Mother of mercy, we are now wasting money on telling people to watch out for trains, by way of TV adverts........

If you can't see a train, a barrier or bells won't freaking help. My wife and I just rolled our eyes when Lomu came on TV about power/life support, and now this.......... My faith in humans is eroding.