Backseat drivers ring a bell

By CATHY ARONSON

Billboards telling backseat drivers to "Speak up to slow him down" may have angered Auckland motorists, but they also gave them something to remember.

The RoadSafe Auckland campaign that pointed the finger at men and suggested women tell them to slow down attracted a record 100 email responses, compared with half a dozen for other campaigns.

"I think the signs and advertising campaigns are sexist," said one motorist. "It is not fair to single out the male sex. Women are just as bad."

But the message made its point. A telephone poll of 200 people showed 88 per cent remembered the slogan.

The survey showed that 61 per cent were more likely to ask a speeding driver to slow down.

It was an improvement on past campaigns, which have struggled to get more than a 40 per cent recall rate, says regional road safety coordinator Martin Dawe.

"We didn't expect this level of discussion," he said.

Last year a Gisborne sign with a busty woman saying "Drive me slowly ... down with speed" attracted opposition from neighbouring Gisborne Girls High School and a complaint to the Advertising Complaints Board.

The sign was moved away from the school but the board ruled that although the "blatantly sexist implication" was probably unnecessary, it conveyed its safety message.

Auckland University psychology lecturer Niki Harre said road safety groups had to find more exciting ways of putting out the same message to make an impact.

"People might not like what they see, but it makes them talk about it. They subconsciously store the message and over time may change their habits."

Catherine Harland, chairwoman of the Auckland Regional Council's land transport committee, said the message was hard-hitting but accurate.

Men, especially those aged between 15 and 24, accounted for 65 per cent of speed-related crashes.

The campaign's effect on speed would not be known until updated figures were released in the middle of the year.

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