Pedestrians were one of the main target groups of the “Make Roads Safe” campaign Moldova, carried out by EASST Partner the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM). According to research, pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and have the lowest level of protection when they are on the street. Due to the high number of road accidents registered in Moldova in 2011 involving pedestrians (including children), the ACM team initiated several actions aimed at protecting pedestrians on Moldovan streets.
The ACM team carried out a survey of road signs and road markings near educational institutions where the volume of people, especially children, is high. The ACM discovered that many places had no road signs or markings. Therefore, in collaboration with media partner Publika TV and the Road Police, the ACM organized the first flash mob in the country: www.saferoads.md/update_september_15_2011.html
In tandem with this, Publika TV and ACM team launched a media campaign titled “Be aware on the road, you are waited at home!” During this campaign ACM, Publika TV and several celebrities visited schools throughout the country to distribute road safety and high visibility materials to children in primary schools.
Members of the public were invited to share their road safety concerns on the Publika TV website. As a result of the campaign, many places with no pedestrian crossings were detected on Moldovan roads.
In response to this, the Road Police and ACM teams, assisted by TV/radio representatives and national pop stars and actors, installed improvised zebra crossings in all places where real pedestrian crossings were missing. After several operations, the authorities responded immediately to this appeal and applied the required markings instead of the improvised zebra crossings.
The campaign was aimed at raising awareness not only among pedestrians, but also to ask drivers to be more aware because too many serious road crashes occur and every one of us is waited at home!
The ACM campaign was a huge success creating a large impact on the national authorities and public. The campaign concluded with a 2-hour TV show on Publika TV channel where those who participated in the action along with key figures of the responsible authorities discussed and analyzed the achievements of the campaign and the road safety issues remaining on the national agenda.
