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Toyota Safety Campaign Raises Risk Awareness Among Older Drivers


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LONDON - October 10, 2007: The risks faced by older drivers are the focus of a new road safety campaign, Keep Driving Safely, supported by Toyota. Working with the charity Help the Aged, Toyota Motor Europe has commissioned a series of attention-grabbing posters, designed to make motorists think about issues that can affect their safety behind the wheel.

The Royal College of Art was engaged to design the posters that will initially be distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies, Help the Aged shops and community centres in the UK. They will also form the basis for advertisements in special interest magazines and features in the national press.

Young people have traditionally been the focus of safety campaigns, but with an ageing population in the UK, there is an increasingly large number of 55-plus drivers on the road. In general older people are the safest drivers, but the natural effects of ageing on eyesight, hearing, dexterity, mobility and memory can compromise driving ability.

The posters, designed around a central question mark symbol, flag up issues such as driving at night, in poor weather or for long distances, the effects of medication and the risks involved with merging traffic and in making right turns.

The project forms part of Toyota’s on-going commitment to reducing traffic accidents and improving road safety worldwide. Across Europe, Toyota continues to support Red Cross first aid awareness campaigns for young people, run in the UK under the banner Don’t Be a Bystander.