Road Safety Flash Mob

On 29 December 2015, representatives from EASST’s partner organisation, the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM), in partnership with the National Patrol Inspectorate (NPI) organised a road safety flash mob dedicated to pedestrians on the Dacia Boulevard in Chisinau. Special guest, Ala Zasmenco – a local pop singer who supports and promotes the road safety initiatives in Moldova – also participated.

The Dacia Boulevard is a busy thoroughfare and one of the most dangerous streets in Chisinau with the highest rates of traffic violation and road traffic collisions involving pedestrians. Indeed, while there are multiple pedestrian crossings including underground crossings, a large number of pedestrians jaywalk and cross the street in non-designated places, endangering their own lives and threatening the safety of other road users.

As part of the event, any pedestrian who crossed the road outside of a marked crosswalk, i.e. in a forbidden area, were given a red sweet, along with a road safety brochure and reflectors. The potential jaywalkers were also told about road risks and why it is important to respect traffic rules.

Representatives also stood at road crossings and awarded green sweets and an “I am a good pedestrian” flag to those who crossed the street correctly, marking them as a good example to other pedestrians.

In addition, informative materials about pedestrian safety (brochures with tips and posters) were distributed around schools, kindergartens, clinics, pharmacies, and commercial banks nearby with the aim of spreading the message more widely and informing and educating pedestrians.

This Pilot Intervention on the Dacia Boulevard was carried out with the aim of informing the population about the risks of non-compliance with traffic regulations, to improve pedestrian safety, reduce the number of road traffic collisions involving pedestrians, road injuries and deaths. The event was carried out within the Road Safety Prevention Campaign (in partnership with TRACECA Road Safety Project II), funded by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).