Tokyo's Metropolitan Expressway is one of the world's busiest roads. A million vehicles cross it every day, resulting in about 40 accidents a day, that is, in over 12,000 accidents a year in 2006. The accidents cause about a 25,000 kilo tailback, which is almost equivalent to the round-trip distance between Tokyo and New York.
In the past a wide range of communication campaigns have been made, to no avail. So we tried something different: an advertising campaign that would appeal to Tokyo drivers' consciousness and lead to safer roads. The reason why we came up with the approach is because the majority of Expressway accidents occur because of drivers failing to yield way and we thought that, if each driver would show just a little kindness and cooperation, accidents would decline.
"The prevention of one accident eliminates a 2-km traffic jam, which cuts 3 tons of CO2 emissions. Less accidents would make better environment, and make Tokyo a more attractive city." We called such socially-conscious drivers "Tokyo Smart Driver" and asked them to be a part of the campaign - that is "Tokyo Smart Driver" project.
We distributed the campaign auto stickers so that drivers can show their support for the project, while we broadcasted our message from all radio stations in Tokyo. In addition, we made the symbol design of the campaign free-license so that we saw a lot of creative collaboration with citizens and companies, which produced a CD, sweets, and a polo shirt. The pink logo mark has widely spread across Tokyo beyond the Expressway.
As of April 2009, Metropolitan Expressway accidents fell by 1,403 cases. Over 10,000 citizens wrote in support of the project and people showed their support by displaying campaign stickers and serving as volunteers to spread the word. The project still continues to spread.
Tokyo Smart Driver project will continue, getting the message to prevent traffic accidents out and sustaining a chain reaction between kind drivers. So, join us and be a "Tokyo Smart Driver." Today!
