The Colombian city’s new campaign shows the deadly consequences of speeding
(New York, USA) – The city of Bogotá, Colombia, reaffirmed its commitment to reducing road traffic crashes with a new campaign urging drivers to respect speed limits. Secretary of Mobility Juan Pablo Bocarejo launched the “Don’t Let Your Rush Destroy Their Dreams” campaign today at a press conference held at Club El Nogal. The campaign will air on television, radio and digital media for one month, and posters will be displayed at bus stops throughout the city. The campaign is the city’s sixth as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), of which Vital Strategies is an implementing partner.
Twenty-one percent of drivers in Bogotá exceed speed limits, according to a 2018 observational study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, as part of BIGRS. This is a marked improvement from the 39 percent of drivers found exceeding speed limits in a 2015 Johns Hopkins University study, but urgent action is still needed save lives. Children and the elderly are most vulnerable to traffic injuries and deaths, accounting for nearly half of pedestrians killed in the city in 2017.
“Speeding is a risky behavior that contributes significantly to the over 1.25 million deaths on the world’s roads each year,” said José Luis Castro, president and CEO of Vital Strategies. “In a bustling city like Bogotá, where many people travel by foot or by bicycle, vehicles must travel at safe speeds to prevent crashes and reduce the severity of injury and likelihood of death when a crash does occur. We congratulate the city of Bogotá on its continued efforts to put an end to this deadly behavior.”
The campaign features a public service announcement showing the devasting consequences of speeding as a young schoolgirl, who dreams to one day become a pilot, is hit by a speeding driver while crossing the street with her grandfather. To further encourage behavior change, Bogotá’s traffic police will step up speeding enforcement operations during the campaign period.
“Don’t Let Your Rush Destroy Their Dreams” marks Bogotá’s third media campaign to combat speeding as part of BIGRS, following two waves of the “Mistakes” campaign. Bogota has also run two campaigns to fight drink driving and one campaign to increase proper helmet use.
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For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health and road safety expert, please contact press@vitalstrategies.org