Four new campaigns launched to cut death and injury on London's roads

Pedestrians, drivers and motorcyclists are being targeted in four new campaigns to improve road safety in London.

Appearing from this week the campaigns will run for the next six weeks and use various tactics to raise safety awareness among different road users.

Earlier this year the Mayor and TfL launched a new road safety plan which set out a clear path towards helping to reduce accidents on London's roads. These new campaigns will build on the progress already made and aim to cut road accidents even further.

Teenagers, who are a particularly vulnerable group on the roads, will be urged to stay safe in film clips featuring the cast of Channel 4’s ‘Top Boy’ and comedian & Choice radio presenter Kojo. Each urges them to follow the campaign strapline when using the road, ‘Stop.Think. Live.’. The clips can be seen on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Last year, 104 teenagers were killed or seriously injured on London’s roads. While great progress has been made in recent years, with a 54 per cent reduction in such incidents since 2002, TfL is determined to make the roads even safer for young people. 

Distraction is one of the major factors in collisions which result in injury to teenage pedestrians. This may come in the form of chatter among friends or focussing on things like using a mobile phone or listening to music. The irreverent social media clips help translate the road safety message by making it more relevant to teenagers.

The motorcyclists’ campaign calls on riders to think about how fast they ride on the road, particularly when deciding whether to increase their speed – for example when overtaking. Latest figures show that 629 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured last year; 77 of which involved speed as a contributory factor. On TfL social media platforms riders will be invited to exchange safety tips on topics such as protective clothing.  

In the third campaign a new series of ads designed as floral tributes are to be placed at junctions across London to remind motorists to look out before turning. Turning at junctions can sometimes mean vehicles cross across the path of a cyclist or motorcyclist, or encounter a pedestrian crossing a side road, potentially leading to a collision. By making sure motorists are on the lookout at junctions, it is hoped that the number of these avoidable collisions can be reduced.

The final campaign targets older pedestrians and encourages them to use pedestrian crossings, allowing them to cross with more time and more safety. This is particularly important for people who are less mobile. People over the age of 65 make up approximately 40 per cent of all pedestrians killed on the roads.

Ben Plowden, Director of Strategy and Planning at TfL, said: "Reducing casualties among all road users is a major priority for TfL and the Mayor. These new campaigns will help us with our ambition of a 40 per cent cut in deaths and serious injuries by 2020. They will encourage individuals not only to look out for each other, but also take additional responsibility for their own safety on London’s roads."