New Queensland motorcycle safety campaign Be aware. Take care. Survive. The Department of Transport and Main Roads is committed to addressing the safety of motorcyclists. Motorcycle riders and pillions are highly vulnerable road users and are over represented in the road toll. They are nearly 30 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other vehicle drivers.* The motorcycle road safety campaign Be aware. Take care. Survive. aims to reinforce positive riding behaviour and skills amongst motorcyclists and to improve road safety by informing and changing the attitudes and behaviours of riders, as well as drivers. It is hoped this will contribute to a reduction in the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities in Queensland. *Per distance travelled based on research from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 2002. Campaign overview Last year in Queensland (2010), motorcycle and pillion fatalities made up approximately 20 per cent (20.1%) of all fatalities as a result of road crashes. Despite this, they represented less than five per cent of vehicle registrations.* * As at 31 December 2010, there were 161,276 motorcycles registered in Queensland out of a total fleet of 3,554,043. The Department of Transport and Main Roads motorcycle road safety campaign Be aware. Take care. Survive. encourages riders to understand their own heightened vulnerability and realise their actions and choices can greatly influence their level of risk. The campaign aims to reduce motorcyclist fatalities and serious injuries by encouraging riders to anticipate and avoid risks by employing safe riding skills. It also encourages other road users to keep an eye out for motorcyclists as they have less protection in the event of a crash. The campaign consists of a 30sec television advertisement, outdoor billboards placed on routes frequented by riders, convenience posters locations frequented by riders, a website (www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au), online advertising and a publication called the Queensland Motorcycle Riders Guide. The Riders Guide is an online resource for that contains useful information on motorcycle licensing, registration, road rules and safe riding techniques. Campaign background This campaign launched in July 2010. It builds on the 2007-2008 motorcycle safety campaign Be aware. Take care. Survive. which encouraged riders to face the facts about the risks they take on the road and take personal responsibly for their behaviour. It has been developed in consultation with the Motorbike Safety Working Group. The department also ran a previous motorcycle safety campaign in 2007-2008 called Think before you hit the road. This campaign had a share the road message for motorcyclists and motorists. Community attitudes and awareness Key findings of an independent tracking survey of Queensland community attitudes and awareness conducted on behalf of the department in August 2008 found that: The majority of Queensland motorists (91%) feel that motorcycle safety is an important road safety issue. However only one third (35%) of Queensland motorists feel that motorcycle riding is safe. One in four Queenslanders (26%) feel motorcycle riders and other traffic share the road safely.
Of those who feel motorcycle riders and other traffic do not share the road safely: Think before undertaking risky rider behaviour (the top contributing factors in fatal motorcycle crashes o most (72%) say that it is because motorcycle riders are more likely to be exposed to risky situations on are drink driving, speeding, illegal manoeuvres and rider inattention and negligence). roads. Ride to survive so you can continue to experience o o 69% feel motorcycle riders usually take risks while 62% say that motorists don t look out for your love of riding and the feeling of freedom it provides. motorcycles. Be Here for Life. Campaign objectives Motorist key messages: The aims of the motorcycle safety campaign are to: reinforce positive riding behaviour and skills Please keep motorcyclists in sight. Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users and have less protection in the event of a crash. bring a new life to the department s motorcycle safety messages and improve road safety by informing and changing the attitudes and behaviours of riders, as well as drivers, to contribute to a reduction in the number of motorcycle crashes and fatalities in Queensland. Target audiences Primary audience Queensland male riders aged 17 to 49 years (in particular 30 to 39 years, who are more highly represented in motorcycle-related fatalities statistics). Key messages Motorcycle riders: Be aware. Take care. Survive. Understand your heightened vulnerability on the road. Realise your actions and choices can greatly influence your level of risk on the road. Anticipate and avoid risks by employing safe riding skills (road craft) and practices (wearing protective clothing). Secondary audiences All other Queensland motorcycle riders and their influencers. Motorists and other road users (those potentially involved in motorcycle-related crashes). The primary target audience for this campaign is motorcyclists although by choosing mass media such as television, there is an inherent message for other road users that motorcyclists are a vulnerable in the event of a crash and the actions of other road users can cause serious consequences for motorcyclists. Understand the very nature of motorcycle riding requires a more focused and complex skills set than driving a car.
Campaign research This motorcycle safety campaign is a shift from statistical/facts-based messages, which were used in the previous motorcycle safety campaign, to focus on personal responsibility and choice. This approach aligns with the positive positioning of the department s road safety branding Here for Life. Campaign elements Convenience advertising (on the back of toilet doors) Convenience posted have been placed in toilets at eateries, petrol stations and other locations frequented by riders, such as popular mountain ranges, to remind motorcyclists about using safe riding skills when they are on the road. These will appear from late-june to the end of July 2011. The poster artwork has been adapted from the New South Wales Road Traffic Authority s Curves campaign. A 30 second television commercial The television advertisement Out here will air statewide from 22 May to 2 July 2011. The commercial demonstrates a realistic situation that a motorcyclist may encounter. A car driver cuts the motorcyclist off and, to try to avoid a crash, the rider brakes heavily. The motorcyclist then loses control and crashes. The ad goes on to provide defensive riding techniques for motorcyclists for the purposes of avoiding a crash. It urges riders to stay alert, ease back on their speed, ride so they are visible to other road users, look ahead for hazards and not travel too closely to other vehicles. The commercial does not lay blame. It encourages Online The current motorcycle website (www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au) has been updated and relaunched to tie in with the new campaign. Paid Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Optimisation (SEO) is also being used to promote the motorcycle safety website. Other online tactics include Electronic Direct Mail (EDM) sent to subscribers of the department s Here for Life electronic newsletter and online banner advertising appearing on Facebook from late-may through June 2011. both motorcyclists and other road users to share the road safely. Television is an effective way to reach Publicity motorcyclist and other road users (those who need to look out for motorcyclists and are also involved in motorcycle-related crashes). The department produces a weekly online news broadcast called Road sense which is distributed to all media throughout Queensland and features articles on motorcycle safety. There is also a monthly road safety Outdoor billboards Outdoor billboards with the message Out here. Be aware. Take care. Survive have been placed at advertorial called Shifting gears which appears in nineteen major APN regional newspapers and also features articles on motorcycle safety. locations frequented by riders on key such as along popular mountain ranges to remind motorcyclists about using safe riding skills when they are on the road. These will appear from 23 May to mid-june 2011.
Campaign evaluation As part of campaign development, television concepts were tested with a cross section of active Queensland motorcycle riders in Brisbane and Cairns in March and April 2009.This consisted of four focus groups with motorcycle riders between 17 to 29 years and 30 to 49 years of age. Of several different television concepts tested, the Out here advertisement was preferred by the majority of respondents. The key reasons motorcycle riders preferred this television concept was they felt: the approach was considered a realistic representation of what a motorcyclist faces every day it showed the rider has a choice stay aware or face the consequences it was felt to be highly informative and it was considered to be a good reminder of what motorcyclists need to do and what skills are paramount. Some of the verbatim comments from motorcyclists included: It shows a realistic situation with a possible result. And it puts the responsibility on the rider in regard to their position on the road. Younger male motorcyclist (17-29 years) Brisbane Use your brain and think about your surroundings or you could have an accident. And that message was driven home with the image of the motorcyclist crashing. Younger male motorcyclist (17-29 years) Brisbane This is the ad that grabbed my attention the most. Seeing the accident build up and then play out was very engaging. Then the quick sharp messages about ways to avoid accidents were very effective. Younger male motorcyclist (17-29 years) Cairns It had impact. I think that whether you are an experienced rider or a learner rider, it reinforces things that you can do and can control rather than things you can t. Younger male motorcyclist (17-29 years) Cairns It reinforces what should be going through our minds while we re riding. Older male motorcyclist (30-49 years) Brisbane It conveys the message to a rider of what and how things can go wrong and tells you how to ride safer. Older male motorcyclist (30-49 years) Brisbane It s more realistic and I can relate to it personally. It reminds me to use my existing skills. Older male motorcyclist (30-49 years) Cairns The department will also undertake a post-campaign evaluation. Previous campaigns The new campaign builds on the previous motorcycle safety campaign Be aware. Take care. Survive. which launched in May 2008. This campaign encouraged riders to face the facts about the risks they take on the road and take personal responsibly for their behaviour. It included radio, a brochure, outdoor advertising, convenience posters and relaunch of the interactive motorcycle safety website www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au
There were two radio commercials aimed at riders and motorists. The first reminded motorcyclists to ride safely and the second encouraged motorists to 'keep motorcycles in sight'. Many riders are also car drivers and this provided an in-vehicle reminder of key campaign messages. Outdoor-of-home advertising was targeted to key rider hotspots. This consisted of fixed outdoor billboards, advertising at petrol stations and posters in the toilets at eateries along popular mountain ranges. Media placement was restricted to high crash areas where motorcycle leisure riding takes place, predominantly on weekends. These areas included the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and Gold Coast hinterlands, the four mountain ranges in the greater Cairns area and on the Darling Downs. In addition, during May and June 2008, all Queensland registered motorcycle owners were sent a brochure with key facts about their risks on the road and information on precautions they should take. The integrated campaign was supported by the motorcycle safety website. An evaluation in 2008 of the campaign showed it was effective at reaching the target audience. Overall, 96% of motorcycle riders surveyed had some sort of awareness (either unprompted or prompted) of the campaign. Motorcycle riders had good unprompted recall for most elements of the campaign: brochure (66%); radio ad (49%); and billboards (38%). In addition, 63% of general motorists were aware of at least one element of the campaign (either unprompted or prompted). The department also regularly conducts quantitative market research using a telephone survey of 400 motorists to assess attitudes and behaviours towards current road safety issues. Findings from the most recent research study undertaken in June 2009 revealed: Six in 10 respondents (60%) were aware of the campaign with radio advertising performing the most strongly. Overall 95% of respondents were able to recall one or more messages from the campaign when prompted. This included: o Last year, 1 in 5 road fatalities in Queensland were motorcyclists o Please keep motorcyclists in sight (aimed at motorists) o The average motorcyclist is 30 times more likely to be killed in a crash than any other vehicle occupant o Be aware. Take care. Survive. Overall 99% of respondents said the campaign messages were easy to understand. Prior to 2008, the department conducted a two-pronged motorcycle safety campaign between July and September 2007 urging riders and motorists to share the road between The first part of this campaign included 30 second statewide radio and television advertisements carrying a Think before you hit the road message which ran from 15 July until 29 July. The television advertising was supported by outdoor billboard advertisements which aired throughout August across the state and September on the Gold Coast. In addition a series of free community service announcements were sent to state-wide press outlets for publication. The second component of this campaign involved a direct mail out from August 2007 of a motorbike safety brochure to all licensed and registered male riders aged 17 to 49 years in Queensland. Both phases of the campaign referred to the motorcycle safety website www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au The department had not undertaken mass media campaign activity specifically targeting motorcycle riders prior to the Think before you hit the road campaign. However a rider was depicted after a speed-related crash in a Fatal 4 commercial used in 2000-01. Public education activity prior to 2007 predominately consisted of proactive publicity, community service announcements and printed materials.
Further information More detailed information, including advice for new and experienced riders on choosing the right motorcycle, appropriate safety gear, conducting pre-ride checks and safe actions in emergency situations is available at the motorcycle safety website www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au The campaign is also supported by an online resource for motorcyclists called the Queensland Motorcycle Riders Guide. It is available to download from the motorcycle safety website www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au The Riders Guide aims to alert riders to the facts about the risks they face on the road and encourage them to take responsibility for their own safety by undertaking specific protective behaviours and wearing protective clothing. It also aims to encourage riders to brush up on motorcycle road rules, their knowledge and skills and provides information on licensing and registration processes in Queensland. There are animated demonstrations that have been developed from the guide outlining safe riding techniques and these are available at www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au The guide has been developed following extensive stakeholder consultation and referrals to similar publications from the Road Transport Authority (New South Wales) and the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources (Tasmania).