2009-10-04

Road Safety Council

Either I'm out of the loop, but the Road Safety Council (who I've maligned in the past for various inactions on key issues) have had a website up for some time now.

There's a blog component as well, but it's only sporadically active, it seems, which is unfortunate. There's also a Facebook equivalent which has 260 subscribers, however again it would seem to be in a dormant state.

I wonder if they promote their online channels via the traditional newspaper and other mass media routes?

It would be very good for the Road Safety Council to become a more prominent voice both in print and online to highlight some of the issues with our driving culture and pressure Government to discuss in serious depth ways to cure these problems.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some may view "blogging" as just a new wave way of doing what Bermudians have always done best - complain about everything without offering solutions. But I will speak to your post - -

I applaud the RSC for working towards assiting our road problems, but I realize as most should - the Council can not solve the issue - we, the community, are the problem thus we have to do better.

The Council is suppose to advise the Government on how best to proceed, but until we, the community, get off our asses to change then there will always be collisions, accidents, and deaths on our roads.

Be apart of the solution by simply doing better as an individual and you will be amazed how this island will change.

Tryangle said...

Thanks for your comments. It has been my experience that blogging does not have to pander to any person's definition, whether it be providing insight, ideas or just mere complaining. And in Bermuda's example, you'll find many, many variations within the blogosphere. The word "blogging" didn't need quotes in your first sentence, unless you were deliberately being condescending to this method of sharing information.

As far as I'm concerned, since I wrote the original piece 22 days ago, I posed a question on the Road Safety Council's Facebook page. As of today there was no acknowledgement or response. That tells me that the powers that be within that organisation is not particularly pro-active.

My entire post was basically commenting on the inability of the Road Safety Council to get their message out and understood by the population at large and I've seen nothing to indicate otherwise over the past month.

What have they said to the newspapers or TV media recently? What have they discussed with the powers that be within Government and the Police recently?

The "it's up to the community" spiel is beyond old and is a crutch when it comes to road safety. The fundamental point is correct, of course, but we've reached the point where the public is unwilling to change their habits and the Road Safety Council and Government need to work harder on getting the public to comply, not sit on their ass and act like there's nothing they can do.

Commenting using phrases like "complain about everything without offering solutions" is patronising and assumptive, when if you've read through part of the archive you'd find a number of solutions that I've either proposed or supported.

And this: "Be apart of the solution by simply doing better as an individual and you will be amazed how this island will change" is laughable. I can control my driving and pedestrian habits, but I cannot control the myriad of people who choose to drive and walk in dangerous fashion. I'm not a police officer, I cannot ticket offenders. I'm not in Government, I can't legislate policy. And I'm not an insider with a group like the Road Safety Council with immediate access to the powers that be. Those bodies can do far more food than I can.

I do what I can to stay away from the crazies and I've been able to stay 'accident'-free so far, but the odds are not on my side. You need to preach to a different audience, I fear.

Feel free to comment and criticise, but be advised that messages that come off as patronising and condescending pretty much detract from any original argument you're trying to make.