The London Road Safety Council has relaunched a campaign to highlight how the mobile phone obsession is putting people in danger as they use them on the move.
The Heads Up, Phones Down! campaign comprises three new social media films, showing how everyday folk can allow their phone fixation to lead them into disaster on London’s roads – whether they are walking, cycling, driving or motorcycling.
The videos follow the journeys of typical Londoners and show how being absorbed in distracting on-line conversations and internet surfing causes them to come a cropper.
The campaign was first launched in November 2019 – and proved successful, with the videos receiving more than 1.3 million views.
It is being relaunched ahead of Walk to School Week (5-9 October), organised by Living Streets to highlight the ‘incredible’ physical and mental health benefits walking brings to every individual.
Speaking in November 2019, cllr Teji Barnes, chair of the LRSC, said: “There has been a lot of attention given to the dangers of using a phone while driving, and our campaign not only highlights this issue, but also the need for all road users to keep their heads up and their phone down if they are to stay safe.
“We have all seen people stepping into the road while looking at their phone, it has become a really big issue.”
Research shows that using a mobile phone while driving multiplies a person’s risk of a serious crash by four times. Meanwhile, one in seven pedestrians admit to being so engrossed with their smartphones that they step onto a busy road without looking.
21 September 2020