Be A ‘Roll’ Model campaign reminds all to bike safely
Monday, August 08, 2016 at 8:52:50 AM
BATON ROUGE, La.-- As families prepare for the approaching school year, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is reminding residents to bike safely and Be A 'Roll' Model with a three-week bike safety campaign that will run from August 1 to 19.
Be A 'Roll' Model aims to educate drivers and cyclists on how to stay safe on the road. Not only is bicycling a healthy family activity, but it is also a safe means of transportation.
“To be a ‘roll’ model is simple. When you ride your bicycle, wear a helmet. Use hand signals, obey the traffic law, and be seen at all times. If you can do all these, then you are being a ‘roll’ model yourself,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D., whose voice is featured in the 30-second PSA airing in August on various radio and television stations statewide.
“I support the vision of Destination Zero Deaths that our state’s highway safety agencies and regional safety coalitions work together to achieve. It is safety campaigns like Be a ‘Roll’ Model that allow us to coordinate, collaborate and communicate safety tips to all motorists and non-motorized road users,” Secretary Wilson added.
To help Louisiana reach zero deaths, residents are encouraged to share campaign infographics along with the following helpful tips in any manner possible—may it be during parent-teacher meetings, school open houses, social media, word-of-mouth, company bulletin boards, or even just family gatherings:
• When bicycling, always ride with the traffic flow and never ride more than two abreast.
• Helmets are encouraged and are required for children under 12 in Louisiana.
• Stay as visible as possible, and always be alert for other motorists.
• Use bicycle lanes when they are available. Don’t ride on sidewalks.
• Use hand signals and be vigilant of parked vehicles.
• Follow the same traffic rules as motorized vehicles.
In Louisiana, fatalities involving people bicycling increased from 13 in 2014 to 34 in 2015. The Be a ‘Roll’ Model safety campaign originated as a means to step up awareness efforts after the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) identified Baton Rouge and New Orleans to be part of the pedestrian-bicycle focus cities.
In addition to saving fuel costs, research shows that cycling is also a form of exercise that helps prevent serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, depression, diabetes, obesity and arthritis.
DOTD has partnered with Louisiana Radio Network and Louisiana Broadcasters Association to air the PSAs a total of 15,000 times over various radio and TV stations. This effort is supported by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, the Louisiana Center for Transportation Safety at LSU, the Louisiana State Police, in coordination with the Strategic Highway Safety Plan Communications Coordinating Council and regional transportation safety coalitions which support Louisiana’s highway safety vision of Destination Zero Deaths.
In addition to PSAs, these regional coalitions will also help spread the word through their respective social media pages, using hashtags #DZD #RollModel #BikeSafetyLA. A Tweetup is scheduled on Aug. 9 during which hashtags will be used on Twitter to ignite online conversations between DZD partners, coalitions and interested parties at the local level.
For more information about this campaign, visit www.destinationzerodeaths.com and click on “Share our Marketing Materials,” then Bicycles and Pedestrians.
Download the graphic: http://bit.ly/2b8zFht
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