Minister Carlisle Challenges Motorists to Respond to Safely Home's "Be a Hero" Campaign

Robin Carlisle, the Minister of Transport and Public Works in the Western Cape, has challenged motorists to "answer the call" of the Western Cape Government's "Be A Hero" advertising campaign over the festive season.

The campaign, which calls on motorists to "Be a Hero This Festive Season" by helping to save lives by driving responsibly and features a special Taxi Driver campaign, will reach almost 2 million radio listeners and tens of thousands more through billboards and pamphlets.

"For us this has become a moral issue for each driver - either you make the choice to help save lives by driving responsibly, in effect by being a hero, or you make the choice to be a danger to yourself and others," Minister Carlisle said.

"The campaign concentrates on the two biggest killers on our roads - speed and alcohol."

"A hero does not speed or drive while under the influence of alcohol. A hero considers the huge emotional cost of reckless driving. A hero understands that speed and drunk driving kills and disables people and is an enormous cost to the state."

"A hero knows that fewer car crashes translates into less spend on ambulances, casualty and ICU wards, doctors, nurses, traffic officers and forensic pathologists. The money saved in fewer crashes and fatalities - medical and transportation costs - can be used to help combat serious illness and develop safer, more efficient transportation solutions," said Minister Carlisle.

"This is a campaign that recognises that friends, families and drivers who watch out for each other are heroes. This is in accordance with our goal of creating a culture that is vocal and united against reckless driving."

"The most exciting thing about being a hero is that he or she can literally save lives. All of this is based on the Western Cape Government's firm belief - known simply as better together - that working alongside our citizens we can save lives," the minister said.

The radio ads have been "flighted" since 12 December and will run until 10 January. "Be a Hero" pamphlets are also being handed out at roadblocks around the province.

"The Taxi Driver campaign, which runs for a month from 15 December to 15 January, features billboards in and around Cape Town, on the N1 highway onto the N7 towards Table View, and on the N1 into Beaufort West from Laingsburg," said Minister Carlisle.

"Many taxi drivers live, sleep and eat in their taxis. It is their only source of income and the more passengers they pick up in a day, the more money they make. We wanted to convey the message to taxi drivers that by driving recklessly to make more money, they stand a very real chance of losing their licences, having their taxis impounded and ultimately losing their source of income."

Minister Carlisle added that although the Crash Witness campaign, which featured real crash footage from provincial CCTV cameras, was done entirely at no additional cost to the taxpayer, reaching a wider audience than those with internet and smartphones costs money.

"Be a Hero still does more with less in that effective graphics and drawings were used, instead of an expensive photo shoot."