Every year, approximately 1.3 million people are killed and 50 million injured in road accidents worldwide. According to South Africa’s Road Traffic Management Corp (RTMC), 12545 people died in road accidents in the country in 2021. For people aged 5-29 years, there is no greater threat to their lives. And globally on the roads, 1 in 4 deaths occur among pedestrians and cyclists.
STOP, LOOK, WAVE! It’s a simple message, but one that can save lives. And it’s also the theme of Volvo Trucks’ new music video, launched during UN Global Road Safety Week 2023. The aim is to reach out to schoolchildren worldwide to instil the importance of safe behaviour, as well as heighten awareness of heavy commercial vehicles in traffic.
Toattempt to change this for the better, the World Health Organization (WHO) arranges the annual UN Global Road Safety Week – inviting individuals and organisations to contribute towards the UN’s target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% before 2030.
Volvo Trucks´ contribution is a training programme for children, called STOP LOOK WAVE, teaching them how to be safer around traffic. The programme includes a brand-new song and a music video that encourages children all over the world how to best behave around trucks, buses and cars, and to ultimately keep them safe on the roads.
The STOP LOOK WAVE programme has been presented in South Africa since 2015, and tens of thousands of children have been reached during this time through various activations at schools around the country.
“For us at Volvo, safety is in our DNA; we do not only focus on the safety features in our vehicles, but also on boosting safe behaviour in traffic to reduce the risk of accidents,” says Waldemar Christensen, MD of Volvo Trucks South Africa.
Dance moves to help spread the message
Children from all around the world are featured in the video, including from South Africa, showing how to do a set of simple, easy-to-perform dance moves that are intended to make the message more engaging and appealing to young people, and to help spread the message.
The music video and the training material launched during the UN road safety week, is an updated version of a programme launched previously in 2015. Since then, children in more than 30 countries have been reached through this initiative.
“Children are the most vulnerable of all road traffic users and we are on a mission to educate and empower the youth of our country about road safety,” says Christensen. “In South Africa, too many children are injured and even lose their lives due to traffic and pedestrian accidents, and it is time to take this message right to the communities who are affected the most. With the new music video, we hope that we reach even wider to encourage safe behaviour, to protect our children and to save lives.”
WATCH THE STOP LOOK WAVE VIDEO HERE
FACT FILE NEW MUSIC VIDEO
The new song and music video for Stop Look Wave is part of a training material designed for children aged between 8 and 12. It encourages them to stop first before stepping out when crossing the road. Then, they should look in both directions to see if there are any drivers approaching and make eye contact with them. They should then wave to the driver and if the driver waves back, they know that the driver has seen them and it’s safe to cross.
| Volvo Trucks supplies complete transport solutions for discerning professional customers with its full range of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Customer support is provided via a global network of dealers with 2,300 service points in about 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 12 countries across the globe. In 2022 approximately 145,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks’ work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care. |
