NHTSA rolls out Motorcycle Awareness Month advertising campaign
By the Staff of Clutch and
Chrome
April 10th, 2008
Riders and
drivers alike may get a taste of the (NHTSA) National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
2008 motorcycle
safety campaign
with
May's Motorcycle Awareness Month.
As reported
in Clutch and Chrome's recent article '2008: The year of
motorcycle safety' the NHTSA's focus of it's 2008 campaign
is to educate drivers as well as encourage bikers to ride
more safely. The 'talking points' released by the agency
tasked with lowering motorcycle fatalities on America's
highways is aimed squarely at drivers.
-
With warmer weather here,
more motorcycles are back out on the road – and the
drivers of passenger vehicles need to be alert.
-
Motorcycles have a much
smaller profile than other vehicles. This can make it
difficult to judge the speed and distance of an
approaching motorcycle.
-
Allow a motorcyclist the
full lane width. Although it may seem as though there is
enough room in a traffic lane for both an automobile and
a motorcycle, the motorcycle needs the full room to
maneuver safely. Do not share the lane.
Print
advertising uses images of what many would consider tough
bikers to convey the vulnerability of riders on the road.
In one poster/print advertisement, it depicts the stereotypical biker, complete with motorcycle, riding gear and attitude. The headline, which reads "Tough on the Outside. Soft and Squishy on the Inside", reminds readers that as tough as some bikers may be, we are all susceptible to potential accidents and injuries.
Click any of the above for larger images
Another print ad visually demonstrates the narrow swath that a motorcycle rider has in comparison to normal traffic. The headline, which reads "Objects in Mirror are More Vulnerable than They Appear", is a play on standard side mirror verbiage and serves to deliver the message that drivers need to be alert to motorcycle traffic and that motorcyclists are more susceptible to potential accidents and injuries.
Finally a
grabbing poster shows a rider on a nearly empty road with a
headline "Help Us Take Motorcyclists off the Endangered Species List", reminding drivers that motorcyclists face many more dangers on the road than
their automobiles cousins.
More posters,
talking points and fact sheets can be found on the
NHTSA's website.
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