Teenagers in Gedling borough are being targeted by a new campaign which aims to warn of the dangers of being distracted by electronic gadgets.
Ditch the Distraction is an award-winning campaign devised by Nottinghamshire County Council to remind children and teenagers to keep their mobile phones, headphones and i-pods away while they are using the borough’s roads.
Countless research studies show that thousands of pedestrians across the UK often cross roads while using a gadget without paying proper attention.
The campaign aims to reduce the number of accidents involving 11 to 18 year old pedestrians – many of them involving young people wearing headphones or with their heads down using their phones.
It will be managed by the road safety team at Via East Midlands, which manages highways services on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.
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Ditch the Distraction will get its message across through street art positioned outside every secondary school in the county and a number of other local schools. The street art takes the form of large vinyls, strategically positioned on the pavement outside schools with the key safety message.
The campaign is being supported by Nottinghamshire Road Safety Partnership featuring Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Councillor Kevin Greaves, Committee Chairman for Transport and Highways, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “More and more young people have electronic gadgets such as i-pods and mobile phones. It is therefore important that we remind children and young people about the dangers of not being fully alert to the dangers on the roads while using such devices.
“Ditch the Distraction is an award winning campaign through which our road safety team have been able to successfully get these messages across. With the new school year, it is important to once again remind children to be vigilant when using the county’s roads.”
The campaign, a runner-up in the Local Government Awards for community safety, urges young people walking near the road or cycling to keep their mobile phones and headphones in their pocket or bag until they are in a place where they can use it safely.
