Visitors to South Australia could be in for a surprise when driving along certain roads. That’s because such persons will find themselves coming face to face with signage warning drivers: “Don’t Drive Like a” and then displaying a picture of a rooster. Underneath that, it says a more inoffensive “Country roads need safer drivers.”
The safety campaign was the brainchild of the Motor Accident Commission and came as the result of careful research. However, not all motorists were pleased with the colorful language implied by the signs. Local constituents had written their MP to express displeasures with the signage, and the MP in the area in turn echoed the citizens’ complaints directly to the Road Safety Minister.
However, the Road Safety Minister has come to the defense of the signs, saying that it better reflects actual language of target demographics and that children aren’t going to understand what the signs mean. Moreover, she says that the signs comply with community standards.
Perhaps most important, though, is the fact that the campaign appears to be working. A poll has apparently shown that more than half of people queried actually told a fellow vehicle occupant to buckle up after seeing the signage. There has also been a 9% decrease in people not using seatbelts and a 15% decrease in speeding.