Journal Entry 8: "Don't Let Your Friendship Die on the Road"

While traveling along my normal commute on the Tube in London, I came across a striking media campaign plastered on the wall of the underground. With help from the company STARK, a road safety campaign from Transportation for London has created a social media campaign geared toward teen safety in London. It urges teens in London to look out for their friends and overall to promote safe behavior while traveling on the roads in London.  An example of the media posters they have created that are seen throughout London is below:

Clearly this is a powerful message with a striking image.  Upon further research into this media campaign, I came to see that the campaign began in 2007 because of the high level of teen pedestrians who were injured in traffic accidents on the roads of London. Staggering statistics include: In 2007, 545 young pedestrians were injured or killed in road traffic accidents in London and about a quarter of all teenage pedestrian casualties occur on the way to or from school. Young road users are distracted by peer pressure, mobile phones, rollerblading, skateboarding, etc. and are therefore more at risk. According to Transport for London their work started because, “Many of these accidents could have been avoided if the victim had been more aware of the risks of London's roads. That's why we're working to get young people to take extra care and pay more attention when using roads. The campaign's theme, 'Don't let your friendship die on the road' is based on the insight that friendship is one of the most important things in young people's lives. As young teenagers are more likely to be involved in a road collision than any other age group, posters will be placed close to schools and busy areas across London.” The pictures show young actors who at first look like they are leaning against a wall but it then becomes evident that the teen has been involved in a fatal traffic collision. The message is clear, simple and powerful. You can instantly recognize the age demographic which they are targeting because the actors are obviously very young, the above picture features an actress with braces. As a youth myself, I took the ad very seriously and am consequently more aware of this problem in London. I notice the image each time I come across it because it is impossible to ignore. This further contributes to its effectiveness because its message is impossible to avoid or to not understand. Overall, this is an important issue that London has chosen to focus on and their media campaign is an effective and powerful way to spread awareness to London’s youth. They have gone even further from their print media platform to produce a radio advert to dramatize the effect of youth death. It features a teenager reading a eulogy at their best friend’s funeral. Here are other examples of posters I have come across: