Shift into Winter

328 167 We have a problem in the winter Casualty crashes caused by driving too fast for conditions double 328 167 In BC, we have a problem during the early winter months: the number of crashes in which someone is killed or injured because of driving too fast for road conditions doubles from 167 in October to 328 in December. The numbers below describe by region the number of crashes due to driving too fast for road conditions in the early winter months. Refer to the specific number for your region.   Lower Mainland – the number of crashes increases by more than 40 per cent in December compared to October – 99 crashes in December and 70 in October North Central – the number of crashes doubles from October to December – 53 crashes in December and 29 in October Southern Interior – the number of crashes more than triples from October to December – 128 crashes in December and 36 in October Vancouver Island – the number of crashes increases by more than 40 per cent from October to December – 47 crashes in December and 33 in October. October December 3

Reduce winter-weather related deaths and injuries on BC roads Shift into Winter is a campaign to make people aware that they need to drive differently in winter conditions than they do at other times of the year. It started in 2006 in the Interior by a group of organizations that was responding to road closures and crashes. Three years ago - in 2009 - the group ran its first coordinated advertising campaign to reduce winter-weather deaths and injuries on BC roads. The campaign was called Shift into Winter. 4 4

Winter Driving Safety Alliance Today, the group includes all the organizations you see here. They are involved because they all want to make BC roads safer. The group is now called the Winter Driving Safety Alliance and includes: WorkSafeBC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure BC Trucking Association BC Forest Safety Alliance BCAA Road Safety Foundation ICBC RCMP BC Road Builders Pacific Coachlines Trucking Safety Council of BC 5

The main messages Always check weather and travel conditions. Avoid driving when they are bad. If you have to drive, drive smart: Make sure your vehicle is winter ready Give yourself lots of extra time Carry an emergency kit This is the third year for the Shift into Winter campaign. This year, the main safety messages are those you see here. The reason these messages are being used is that the best way to stay safe on the roads in winter is to avoid driving when the weather and road conditions are bad. Sometimes this isn’t possible, but even if you can delay your trip by an hour or two, it can make a big difference.   So, if you can, wait until the weather improves. If you have to drive, always check weather and travel conditions before you go and drive smart. There are lots of tips on how to drive smart in the safety tip sheets that are part of this campaign and available on the campaign websites at ShiftIntoWinter.ca and DriveBC.Ca. There is a slide about them later in the presentation. 6 6

Posters and Ads But first, here is a look at two of the print ads for this year’s campaign. There are four in all. I will show you the other two in a moment. These can also be used as posters. The ads were designed under the theme - Winter Intelligence - and play up the spy and espionage motif in the language and pictures. The ads ask people to “Keep winter under surveillance” and “if you don’t know, don’t go.” This reflects the main messages of the campaign – to always check weather and travel conditions and avoid driving when they are bad. 7 7

Posters and Ads These are the other two ads. Again you see the spy/espionage theme and the message “Keep winter under surveillance” and if you “don’t know, don’t go.” All four of these are available on the ShiftIntoWinter.ca website for you to download and use as posters. Put them up in your office and ask other people to post them in their offices. 8 8

Paid and earned media campaign This is how the ad will look on the back of a bus. 9 9

Spreading the word Advertising campaign sponsored by WorkSafeBC and MoTI in three communities Kamloops Kelowna Prince George Print, radio, transit, online, Google, Facebook Advertising campaign sponsored by individual road maintenance contractors The campaign will be getting the safety messages out in many ways: First, there is an advertising campaign sponsored by WorkSafeBC and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in three communities: Kamloops, Kelowna and Prince George. It will have transit ads like the one you just saw which will appear on the sides and backs of buses. There will also be ads in newspapers, on radio, in online newspapers and on Google and Facebook. Also, many road maintenance contractors who operate in smaller locations in the province will customize the ads with their own logos for the advertising they buy in their areas. This means that if you travel from Nelson to Smithers this winter, you will see the same ads. Using a single brand – Shift into Winter – and a consistent message will make it easier for people to recognize, remember and understand the safety messages. Remember, the ultimate goal of the campaign is to get people to change their winter driving habits to make themselves, their families and other road users safer. 10 10

Spreading the word WorkSafeBC, MoTI and other Twitter accounts MoTI permanent and mobile message boards In addition to the advertising, we will use Twitter to get out safety messages through the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s and WorkSafeBC’s accounts as well as other Twitter accounts. There will also be safety messages posted on the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s permanent and portable message boards. 11 11

Information sources ShiftIntoWinter.ca DriveBC.ca 12 There are two places where you can get the campaign materials to use in your office or home. The first is ShiftIntoWinter.ca which has the posters you just saw as well as the safety tip sheets I am going to show you in a moment. The second is DriveBC.ca which is a great source for road and travel conditions. In fact, before you head out this winter, you can use it to check out the weather forecast of the route you will be travelling. Both websites are mentioned in all the ads. Please check them out for yourself and point them out to your fellow workers, family and friends. ShiftIntoWinter.ca DriveBC.ca 12 12

Tipsheets This slide and the next slide show the tip sheets which I mentioned earlier that have been developed for the campaign. You can download these at ShiftIntoWinter.ca. The sheets describe the winter driving habits that you should adopt to make yourself and your family safer on the roads this winter. Each sheet has information related to a different group of safety actions you should take. They are: How to get your car ready for the extra challenge of snow and ice How to make good decisions about whether to drive in winter weather How to be safer when you are actually on the road and driving Tips for professional drivers like truckers who often face different situations than those of us who don’t drive for a living 13 13

Tipsheets All of these are available in PDF form on the ShiftintoWinter.ca website so you can print them easily. Make lots of copies and share them with your fellow workers, friends and families. 14 14

Checklist Also, as part of the campaign, there is a survival checklist of all the items drivers should carry in their vehicles when travelling in winter conditions in case they get stuck or stranded. Again, this is on the ShiftIntoWInter.ca website for you to read, download and distribute. 15 15

What to do now Spread the word Promote ShiftIntoWinter.ca and DriveBC.ca Download posters, tip sheets and checklist Distribute them to fellow workers, friends and family Shift into Winter yourself! So now what? Please act as a safety ambassador with the people you know. The thing about crashes is that most of them are preventable. If you change your winter driving behaviour, you are contributing to making our roads safer and hopefully preventing a needless tragedy. Go to the websites and point other people to them. Download the posters and put them up in your office and give them to others to put in their offices. Hand out the tip sheets and checklist to your fellow workers, your friends and family. Change your own winter driving habits to be safer on the roads this winter. ShiftIntoWinter.ca DriveBC.ca 16 16