A new awareness campaign involving an online driving game shows users just how dangerous it is to text and drive, said the Western Cape’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Donald Grant, on Wednesday.
“We are delighted that Vodacom, a leading African mobile communications company, has partnered with us to tackle distracted driving head-on and to raise awareness about the serious dangers of using devices while driving,” said Grant.
Throughout the month of May, the provincial department of Transport and Public Works would be focusing on the dangers of distracted driving, using a multimedia campaign “#ItCanWait.”
In support of the provincial government’s campaign, Vodacom has launched its own campaign, “W8_2send.”
While the ministry’s campaign involved thumb bands, social media, electronic billboards, and public service announcements on radio, Vodacom’s campaign involved an online game that simulates distractions drivers face while texting and driving.
“It challenges players to manoeuvre an animated car by tilting their smartphones or using the arrow keys on their keyboard, while typing the answers to questions,” Grant said.
To play the game, one could log onto www.w82send.co.za. Here, the user directs the vehicle, trying to avoid obstacles and other vehicles in the road while responding to texts.
“All drivers know that texting while driving is unsafe, but they often do not realise just how dangerous it is,” said Vodacom regional managing executive, Albert Breeds. “Texting can keep your eyes off the road for as much as five seconds at a time, so at 120 per hour, the vehicle would have traveled a distance equivalent to more than one and a half soccer pitches,” he said.
Breed added that research by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Arrive Alive illustrated that texting while driving was “riskier than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
“We want to reduce South Africa’s alarming rate of road accidents, by making people think twice before they tweet, post or text on the road. The lives of your family, your children and your passengers are much more valuable than that SMS,” said Breed.