4. TRAININGS, INFORMATION AND AWARENESS-RAISING ACTIVITIES AND CAMPAIGNS FOR ROAD USERS

One of the most important factors leading to the occurrence of traffic accidents is the behaviours of road users. Training the road users received or are receiving determine, as well as their previous road experiences, the behaviours of road users. Traffic trainingdoes not only include the drivers, pedestrians, passengers, bicycle and motorcycle riders, who we define as types of road users, but also our children, namely our future, the teachers that train them, academicians, units responsible for traffic safety, engineers designing and building road transportation infrastructure, policymakers, and the entire society in a nutshell. A sustainable, human-oriented traffic training to include all kinds of road users can be described as one of the most effective instruments to decrease traffic accidents.

Interesting results have been obtained from research conducted on the effectiveness of traffic safety campaigns. According to these results;138

• Behavioural change in the desired course happens at a higher level if the percentage of road users exhibiting desired behaviours is low in the beginning.
• Campaigns, clearly expressing what the behavioural change it targets is and why the change in the behaviour is important, ensure more behavioural change when compared with campaigns encouraging people to be more careful in general.
• Campaigns aiming at protecting one by discussing a specific adverse condition that everyone may experience in daily life draw more attention.
• Regarding the fact that the influence of campaigns on road users is around 7.5%, conducting campaigns alone may not be effective in ensuring sufficient behavioural change.
• Increasing the number of training and control activities as well as campaigns have a greater impact on behavioural change.
• If television seems to cause more changes than other media, it is believed that this situation is caused by the number of television viewers.
• The media method is significant to ensure that the campaign reaches large masses as it is in the television example.
• Campaigns aiming at convincing have more effect when compared to general educational campaigns.
• The effect of campaigns based on theoretical research is higher.
• Reaching the sentiments of the human in campaigns is more effective than the presentation of scientific information.
• The campaigns should be conducted selectively, not be organized for random objectives, and the campaign organized should be observed to have ensured behavioural change by being conducted insistently.
• Analysing the behavioural changes before and after the campaign is extremely important to measure the effectiveness of campaign expenditures.

The following were included amongst the features of a well-organized traffic safety campaign in the report prepared by the UN organization named the Traffic Safety Partnership:139

• The use of a theoretical model on its basis,
• Paying regard to the quantitative and qualitative research conducted previously on the issues discussed in the campaign,
• The use of campaign supports such as legislation, control, and public relations, or combined promotion,
• The media channels used to transfer the approach and message used to appeal the campaign,
• The intensity, duration, timing, and presentation of campaigns,
• Guidance based on a responsible base agency, a limited number of messages, research, and social support, and involving the recommendation of improving decisions for an effective campaign.

In thematic reports prepared as a result of research conducted by the European Union, the following matters are recommended for the planning and running of traffic safety campaigns:140

a. The use of evidence-based on a theoretical model to be included at the heart of the effort or the accident database,

b. Making an assessment plan to measure the effectiveness of the campaign for future improvements,

c. Identifying the problem and determining a well-selected message,

d. Identifying the target group and finding the proper way of communication to reach them (TV spots, leaflets, radio interviews, school activities, entertainment activities for youth, gas stations, school areas, etc. based on the target group),

e. Including all stakeholders from police and other control institutions being of vital importance to the campaign activities,

f. The supervisions related to the subject of campaign being of vital importance after the 2-weeks information period,

g. The overview of the best practice examples countries, preparing annual programmes having 4 or 6 messages annually and including a supervision plan,

h. Preferring the organization of an independent campaign financially supported,

i. The positive contributions of associations and foundations being road victims to the campaigns,

j. and the use of cultural elements in the campaign should be evaluated in detail.

Furthermore, the public arena can be involved by ensuring active training experiences in campaigns, the examples of which may be; the street theatre performances, shutdown of streets, using traffic cone or portable materials and changing the street design temporarily, and speed limit trials.

As the responsibility is allocated to the system designers to establish and manage a safe system as part of the Safe System Approach, it is of great importance that the training efforts include these persons as well. Planners, engineers, health care staff, executioners, and other actors should have a good grasp of the Safe System Approach. Capacity building and training efforts should target these critical stakeholders.

The study referred to as the “Media Campaigns Practice Set”, prepared by the World Health Organization, recommends the organization of campaigns in areas proving the main risk factor in terms of traffic safety to begin with. These areas may lead to: overspeeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, not using protective head guard, seatbelts, and child protection equipment. Making necessary legislative regulations, putting into practice an institutional structuring, collecting data, and informing as well as sensitising the public before launching a campaign is exceedingly important. It is recommended that these campaigns;141

• be continued up to 6-9 weeks between the data collection process before the campaign and assessment process after the campaign,

• focus on a different risk factor every time,

• include the potential negative outcomes of the determined risk factor (such as a high penalty, the number of deaths and injuries),

• have a realistic and shocking message,

• have TV broadcastings, radio spots, and outdoor boards pertinent to the use of mass media on standby,

• continue 4-6 weeks to reach all segments of society,

• have their budgets determined in advance,

• show the features of reiterating the messages including these messages repetitively.

Concerning the fact that the road traffic safety campaigns are run in ten steps, the stages and steps related to the conduct of campaign projects are explained as follows:142

Phase 1; Planning of the Project and Conduct of Research

Phase 1; Planning of the project, organizing the project team, determining the consultants and stakeholders, determining the strategy alternatives, and identifying the budget and implementation calendar,

Phase 2; Identifying the socio-economic environment where the campaign will be put into practice, and conducting the desk research related to its features,

Phase 3; Examining the elements, features, measurability, realizability of the strategy to be adopted, whether it is scheduled and its relevance (performing the SMART Analysis),

Phase 4; Researching the target group to design the strategy,

Phase 2; Production

Phase 5; Identification of messages and materials, researching when and where to give the messages,

Phase 6; Testing the main idea and concept of the campaign,

Phase 7; Performing the pre-test of the messages and materials, evaluating the messages and materials in detail,

Phase 3; Distribution

Phase 8; Making the distribution strategy and media planning, identification of airtime, and determining how to initiate the opening of the campaign,

Phase 9; Launching the campaign, putting it into practice, monitoring, and changing the strategy when necessary,

Phase 4; Assessment

Phase 10; Assessing, measuring the effects of the campaign, determining its effect on the accumulation of knowledge, awareness, and behavioural change of the target group, and reviewing to what extent the campaign reached the target group.

Information and Awareness-Raising Efforts and Campaigns Conducted by the DGS Traffic Presidency

The DGS Traffic Presidency carries out training, information activities, and campaigns as well as control activities to minimize the loss of lives resulting from traffic accidents. The priority steps to take in the field of traffic safety were taken with the Road Traffic Safety Implementation Policy Paper put into practice by the Ministry of Interior in 2017 by determining the framework of objective-driven activities to be conducted with other stakeholder institutions as well as the ones undertaken institutionally. Training cooperation activities, training and information efforts, and social campaigns were put into practice with the stakeholder institutions under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior to for this purpose.

I Am Also A Traffic Police This Holiday Red Whistle for A Bad Driver

Control effect is aimed at being created on “overspeeding, use of a seatbelt, and use of cell phone while driving” over particularly the vehicle drivers by using the effect of children to have their way over families through aforesaid campaigns launched in 2018 and continued. As such, it is aimed at raising awareness over all drivers and passengers using vehicles on Eid-Al Adha, Ramadan, mid-term, and summer holidays, when traffic density is particularly experienced utilizing red whistles, hats, and t-shirts for children travelling with their parents.

Around 1 million red whistles, 13,000 pieces of campaign hats and t-shirts with a red whistle logo, 150,000 pieces of name tags, 10,000 brochures, 100,000 leaflets, and billboards were designed within the campaign, the Turkish Radio and Television Institution (TRT) prepared 3 TV and radio spots and ensure their broadcast on national channels. Besides, 7,047,294 children and 2,820,678 road users have been provided with the information and training activity within the campaign so far.

Pedestrian-Priority in Traffic Campaign

The first right of way was given to pedestrians in pedestrian and school crossings without a traffic light along with the amendment made in the traffic law in 2018 and a campaign on pedestrian safety was launched with the “Life is Your Priority, Priority Belongs to the Pedestrian” across Turkey, concurrently in all 81 provinces, on 6 February 2019, in a way to involve driver and pedestrians to create a pedestrian-priority traffic awareness within this scope. The physical conditions of pedestrian crossings in all provinces were inspected within the campaign. Besides, awareness-raising trainings were provided for 2,111,548 drivers and pedestrians to emphasize pedestrian priority in 2019.

The year 2019 was declared as the “Pedestrian-Priority Traffic Year” by the Ministry to ensure that drivers slow down and give the right of way to pedestrians through getting their attention to a higher level by warning them before pedestrian and school crossings, the “pedestrian first” icons underlining pedestrian priority over roads was ensured to be designed on all school and pedestrian crossings without a light in the approach direction of vehicles.

Moreover, a total of 29,303 crossings out of a total of 61,444 crossings, namely 40.346 pedestrian crossings and 21,098 school crossings, were designed with the pedestrian first icon.

Pedestrian-Priority in Traffic Activities Organized with the “We are the Guards of Pedestrian Safety” motto

Pedestrian-priority in traffic activities with the “We are the Guards of Pedestrian Safety” motto were organized by the DGS Traffic Presidency concurrently across the country on 2 October 2019 under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior, to ensure that citizens and road users can maintain their lives in a more conscious and reliable traffic environment in road traffic and give pedestrian-priority in traffic prominence in public opinion.

Within this scope, awareness-raising activities were organized with the participation of the Minister of Interior and the press in areas where there are underpasses that pertain to schools identified in Ankara.

“We are All Together in this Road” Campaign

The traffic safety campaign named “We are All Together in this Road” was launched on 7 September 2018 under the coordinatorship of the Ministry of Interior to emphasize the importance of using seatbelt on ensuring traffic safety and prevent overspeeding as well as using a cell phone while driving. The campaign aimed at intensifying the awareness-raising activities and traffic controls along with the training for children and adults. The aforesaid campaign is still conducted to distribute several materials to road users in roadside control points in days and weeks when the numbers of traffic controls are increased.

“Let Your Seatbelt Influence Others to Protect Lives” Campaign

The traffic safety campaign named “Let Your Seatbelt Influence Others to Protect Lives” was put into practice between the dates 09-31 August 2019 which would cover the period of Eid-Al Adha in 2019. The voluntary video contest was organized via the official @TrafikEGM Twitter account within the campaign. Besides, 20,000 magnets were designed and distributed to the road users.

6 radio spots and 1 introduction film were prepared and screened in national/local TV and radio channels throughout the campaign to promote the campaign. Children were requested to send the videos they made to raise awareness that the drivers and passengers fastened their seatbelts throughout their travel in the contest organized via social media (Twitter) within the campaign, and 100 children who were chosen from amongst the videos sent were were rewarded 1 Scooter and head guard each.

Training Cooperation Efforts

Safe Driving Rules Training Project for Drivers with the Highest Number of Accident History

The organization of traffic trainings and raising awareness were aimed at for the drivers with the highest number of records on being involved in traffic accidents with the project launched in 2018, the information on drivers identified to have involved in the highest number of traffic accidents as the faulty party in the last 5 years were obtained from the Insurance Information and Surveillance Centre in 2018 and 2019. These drivers were ensured to be included in the short-term face-to-face training through the training module generated. Within the training programmes organized in 2018, 2,700 drivers were provided with safe driving rules trainings, while this number was 3,050 in 2019. The provision of trainings for 3,500 drivers similarly targeted continued in 2020 as well.

Life Tunnel Traffic Training Project with the “A Short Break for Life” Motto

Short-term traffic trainings have been started to be provided in closed traffic areas built in roadside control points for vehicle drivers across the country, to raise awareness in society on traffic safety, and within this scope, the provision of traffic trainings for 184,895 drivers and passenger is actively continued in 59 provinces in 2020.

Traffic Training Project for Teachers

General traffic trainings are provided to all teachers, especially those participating in traffic safety classes in primary and secondary education institutions, before the school year within vocational development in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Education. One-day short seminars are organized on general traffic rules and traffic knowledge required to be known within the general curriculum for teachers in the relevant trainings. Within the project, 417,671 teachers were provided with the general traffic trainings and 238,260 in the one week in 2019.

Development of Traffic Awareness in Students Protocol signed between the MNE-TRT-DGS

The preparation of educational content related to traffic safety which students need was aimed at with the “Development of Traffic Awareness in Students Protocol” signed between the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Education, and the Directorate General of Turkish Radio and Television Institute on 21.09.2018. For this purpose, 4 TV public service ads and 17 radio spots were prepared with the contributions of TRT and were ensured to be broadcasted in traffic training and child training channels.

Additionally, the distribution of educational-content traffic logbooks, puzzles, and colouring books prepared by the DGS Traffic Presidency was ensured.

The shooting of cartoon animation named TRAFIK TAYFA whose one season was shot by the TRT was completed as well and its broadcast with 12 episodes was started as of 3 October 2020 within the project.

Traffic Training (Traffic Detectives) for Children Project

The cooperation protocol pertains to the “Traffic Training (Traffic Detectives) for Children Project” for children between the ages of 03-17 was implemented in coordination with the

• Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Services,
• Ministry of Interior (DGS, GCG),
• Ministry of National Education,
• Directorate of Religious Affairs,
• Police Spouses Association

and support from OPET and approximately 7,270,169 students were provided with the traffic trainings up to present. The trainings are continued in summer schools throughout the summer season and summer Quran courses affiliated to the Directorate of Religious Affairs.

3,100,000 Traffic Detectives IDs, 2 million bags, 3,800 pencils, 3,440 notebooks, and 200,000-holiday duty cards along with recently designed 400,000 educational colouring books were distributed as from the beginning of the project to inform the children in the age group between 03-08 on traffic safety.

Mobile Traffic Training Trailer Truck Coordination Project

The “Mobile Traffic Training Trailer Truck Coordination Project” was put into practice with the programme organized in Ankara on 16 September 2019 between the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Education to provide practical traffic training for students along with the education they receive in primary schools across Turkey.

Within the project, 2 trailer trucks allocated to the Directorate General of Security were modernized and transformed into a Mobile Traffic Training Trailer Truck and made ready for trainings. There is a setting to provide training for 12 students concurrently to be able to provide theoretical trainings within the trailer truck with 1 traffic training parkour and battery-powered traffic training vehicle prepared to be able to provide practical trainings with a portable and illuminated feature within mobile traffic training trailer trucks. Traffic trainings were provided with the Mobile Traffic Training Trailer Trucks by reaching 37,51 students in 526 schools in 53 provinces. The project aims at providing traffic trainings to approximately 6 million students studying especially in primary schools.

Collaborative Efforts Made with the Directorate General of National Lottery Administration

Informative designs are prepared and printed over the National Lottery tickets within the collaborative efforts between the Directorate General of National Lottery Administration and the DGS Traffic Presidency , to raise awareness on traffic safety.

The printing of tickets was ensured by making ticket design efforts for tickets dated 9 January and 9 May in 2019 within the project, and the necessary designing effort related to the tickets to be distributed to be used in the draw dated 9 July in 2020 was made and sent to the Directorate General of National Lottery.

Collaborative Efforts Made with the GSM Companies and Directorate General of Religious Affairs

Informative text efforts are made, and these texts are ensured to be read in mosques at assigned times, to be used in sermons preached in mosques in cooperation with the Directorate General of Religious Affairs to inform the road users due to increasing traffic density in religious holidays and raise necessary awareness.

Collaborative Efforts on Sharing the Accident Black Spots with Road Users Through Navigation Systems

The information on the up-to-date geographical segments where traffic accidents happening across the country is intense is ensured to be shared through navigation systems used to inform the road users in the period when the traffic density shows an increase in Turkey within the project. To that end, the sharing of 50 accident intensity areas identifiedeach year is ensured by the DGS Traffic Presidency with attention-increasing texts on digital maps open to share through the navigation systems.

Seatbelt Simulation Vehicle Trainings

Various activities are organized to show the importance of using seatbelt practically to ensure traffic safety across the country with 2 tumbling over and 1 head-on collision seatbelt simulation vehicles of the DGS Traffic Presidency . Within the activities organized, 7,253 citizens were provided with practical trainings on a seatbelt in 2019.

Traffic Media Awards Project

The “Traffic Media Awards Project” was put into practice in 2019 to use media known as the strongest and most effective promotion tool to announce road traffic safety culture to larger masses in public. The content of productions is reviewer and reporter and the score lists are presented to the opinion of board members at certain intervals to be presented to the members of Assessing Authority formed by the Ministry within the project.

The awarding of producers/directors of TV series, news programmes, and magazine programmes identified to have emphasized traffic safety positively, male and female actors featuring, news directors and news presenters with a ceremony to be organized, thus, raising awareness of the public was aimed at with this project.

The awards of the owners of productions coming in with the programme organized in İstanbul on 4 October 2019 were presented within the project conducted in 2019. The aforesaid project is continued in 2020 as well.

Child Traffic Training Parks

Traffic trainings are planned and organized in child traffic training parks under the coordinatorship of the Directorates of National Education and Branch Offices of Traffic Control in provinces to be able to provide the traffic trainings for preschool, elementary school, and secondary school students. There are currently 98 child traffic training parks, 72 of which are in city centres and 26 in district centres across Turkey.

Additionally, efforts on modernizing and designing of available child traffic training parks with insufficient capacity according to the Ministry of Interior in line with the technological requirements of today was started across the country. Again, efforts to put into service the modern child traffic training parks in a way to have the pre-determined standard features are made in 25 provinces without child traffic training parks within this context. The draft project prepared by the Directorate General of Security was sent to the provincial governorships and the infrastructure works were started. Applied traffic trainings were provided to 148,585 students in child traffic training parks in 2019, which was 31,127 in 2020 despite the pandemic process.

Within the efforts made by the Ministry of National Education:

The “There Are No Minor Mistakes in Traffic!” theatre performance was prepared to raise awareness of preschool and elementary school students, teach traffic rules, and create a traffic culture concerning the protocol signed between the Ministry National Education and the İstanbul Chamber of Commerce on 12 October 2019, 224 performance was presented in 56 schools and the traffic awareness was raised by reaching a total of 31,418 students directly. 2 “Traffic Man Animated Movie” were prepared and published in the “Education Information Network (EBA)” portal, to create traffic awareness in students and get them to adopt the traffic culture.

The “e-Traffic Examination Module” was generated to hold the private motor vehicle driving courses, occupational training and development courses in the transportation sector, engineering vehicle driving training courses examinations and supervise the staff assigned in these examinations on electronic media. A total of 4 “Traffic Man Animated Movies” were prepared to be used in private motor vehicle driving courses and private transportation services occupational training and development courses (SRC). The exact implementation of animated movies and examination rules contributed to the same standard performance of examinations across the country.