A road safety journey: 25 years of the TAC

Civics and Citizenship, Communication, Personal Learning

Part C: Playing a part in the political process

Instructions to students

Now that you have studied the development of legal principles around the use of motor vehicles, trauma statistics and TAC road safety campaigns, it’s time to develop your own road safety message, complete with your own slogan.

This task is to be undertaken in groups of two or three and each student must record in their journal the tasks that they undertook as they worked towards their ultimate goal.Remember that the capacity to perform effectively in a group activity is an assessable component of this unit of work. Also, not every member of a group will necessarily receive the same grade for this presentation. The content of your campaign must address a particular legal issue that is relevant to young people and road use.

Mode of presentation

The finished product must be in an informative/persuasive mode, giving background information on motor vehicles and a message about public health and safety that reflects the public policy that has been developed by governments over the past 100 years. Your message is to be communicated in one of the following forms:

  • A web page
  • A slideshow presentation with film and voiceover commentary
  • An information brochure developed in a way that is consistent with a government publication (colour with graphics and charts, etc.)
  • A storyboard, complete with written text, for a 30 or 60-second TVC film such as those made by the TAC or featured in the MAFMAD films
  • Logo produced using Visual Communication & Design software, together with a 300-word written explanation of the purpose and design elements of the logo
  • A 30 to 60-seocnd radio commercial with voiceover and sound.

Target audience

You are free to choose the audience that you wish to address. Your choice of audience will depend on the particular focus that is being taken. For example, you might target:

-Young people (especially male drivers under the age of 25 or female passengers);

-Parentswho are collecting their children from school (the TAC film Mum in a Hurry addresses this);

-Motorcycle riders;

-Awareness of cyclists, especially with the incidence of dooring, where cyclists are struck by opening doors of cars, often resulting in serious injury; or

-Pedestrians.

Each group is to choose one or more of the following areas as part of a multimedia presentation:

  • Controlling the message in the marketing of motor vehicles

Consider the place of the motor vehicle as a key feature of global popular culturesince the 1940s. Think of how this is presented in the MAFMAD films, The Price of Friendshipand Wanker. Should governments place restrictions on advertising campaigns so that we are more likely toview motor vehicles positively as a means of travel rather than negatively as an object of masculinity?See the case study from the Advertising Standards Board (Australia). This outlines the law in Australia regarding the depiction of cars in advertisements.

  • Young people and risk-taking

There is a tendency for young people to take risks and to ignore the consequences. In many respects, this is due to the rate at which the adolescent brain develops. Psychological studies have found that the typical male brain does not fully develop until the age of 25 years. The MAFMAD filmsYes Mum,Swing,Death Blooms and Social Deathhighlight the risks taken by young people. How would you communicate your message? Will you use emotion or take a humorous and less confronting approach?

  • The cause of road trauma

You could analyse particular factors such as alcohol/ drug abuse and distractions and attempt to increase awareness of the roles that play in road trauma.

  • Case study: Dooring

Drivers and passengers now need to look before they open the door of a car. There are penalties for causing a hazardwith a vehicle door, or more commonlyknown as ‘dooring’.As of 2 August 2012, the on-the-spot fine for thisoffence will increase from $141 to$352 and the maximum courtpenalty from $423 to $1408.This increase is to reflect the risk to bike riders and other road users from the risks of vehicle doors opening in their path.

For students who choose to research and present a campaign on safety of cyclists and dooring, here are some excellent websites to assist you:

-Bikes and government policies

-Cyclist safety

-Glen Waverley Bike Crash

Helmet cams provide valuable evidence in the battle for respect for bike riders. Rider Scott Kerrison (travelling on Springvale Road, Glen Waverley) was involved in a collision with a car.

  • Riding for survival: motorbikes and scooters
  • Tram lanes
  • Motorcyclist Safety
  • The impact of road trauma

The consequences of risk-taking behaviour on the roads are often hidden. View the TAC campaign, Haunted, as an example of how the consequences of risk-taking, in this case, causing the death of a child, can result in lifelong grief. Students should also view Pictures of You for some real-life examples of the suffering of loved ones.

Referenced films

Title of film / You Tube search reference
Mum in a Hurry / "Mum in a Hurry" - TAC's anti speed TV ad
Price of Friendship / 'Price Of Friendship' 2007 MAFMAD winner
Wanker / 'Wanker' - 2006 MAFMAD Winner - Melissa Bubnic
Swing / 'Swing' - 2005 MAFMAD winner
Death Blooms / 'Death Blooms' - 2008 MAFMAD winner
Social Death / 'Social Death' - MAFMAD 2007 Winner
Haunted / TAC 'Haunted'
Pictures of You / Pictures of You - TAC's Anti Speed TV ad campaign

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