AA Charitable Trust Think Bikes Campaign Goes Global
An award-winning UK road safety initiative is being rolled out globally by the FIA, the world motoring organisation. The AA Charitable Trust’s Think Bikes campaign, which launched last March, is being launched across Europe, the Middle East and Africa by the FIA, the world motoring organisation.
The campaign, which encourages all drivers to do a double-take in their mirrors for those on two wheels, now has the potential to reach millions more drivers across the 111 motoring clubs within this region. Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “We are so proud of how well received the campaign has been in its first year and are delighted by this latest development.
“The original idea for the campaign came from one of our patrols, following the death of a family friend on a motorbike, and its goal has always been to reach the greatest number possible to improve the safety of cyclists and bikers. To think that our campaign has already gone global so early in its life is fantastic and I hope it is as successful abroad as it has been here.”
FIA Region I Director General, Jacob Bangsgaard, said: “The AA’s Think Bikes campaign was a playful, but also important reminder that drivers must keep vulnerable road users in mind, especially when driving in city centres where 33% of the traffic is on bikes, motorcycles or scooters.This is why we are launching the FIA campaign for Think Bikes and encouraging our members in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to raise awareness about this vital road safety message.”
The Think Bikes campaign has reached millions of drivers in the UK through the distribution of around 2 million small line drawing stickers. The stickers are designed to be placed on their wing mirrors as a reminder to do a double take for cyclists and bikers.
It was launched in London with the support of North-west sporting legends Chris Boardman and John McGuinness.
The campaign video featuring a naked cyclist has had around 270,000 views and reached more than 750,000 people on Twitter using the #ThinkBikes hashtag.
It was awarded the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) Region I Innovation Award and was nominated for the Cycling Media Awards. It also won the prestigious ACFO Fleet Safety Initiative of the Year award.
Previous AA-Populus research* revealed that the vast majority of drivers admit it is sometimes hard to see those on two wheels while driving (93% for cyclists; 85% for motorcyclists); and more than half (55% for cyclists; 57% for motorcyclists) are often ‘surprised when they appear from nowhere’.
Failure to look properly is the most commonly cited (42%) contributory factor in UK road accidents**, adding further weight to the need for road users to have greater awareness of each other.
Think Bikes stickers are available free of charge to organisations and individuals by emailing publicaffairs@theaa.com
