Arrive Alive Online Report 2012

Introduction / Background to the Arrive Alive Website

2012 has proved once more that hard work and a committed team effort are required to improve safety on the roads of South Africa. There are too many road crashes, injuries and fatalities which could have been prevented!

This cannot be done merely by Government and traffic officials but will require cooperation with the private sector, NGO’s, community activists and private citizens. We are pleased that during the past year many more made the commitment towards road safety via the iPledge Campaign and through their commitment towards Road Safety NGO’s. On the 20^th of December the RTMC also launched a new road safety initiative called Get There No Regrets.

The Arrive Alive online initiative is only one such initiative, based on a passionate personal commitment towards road safety, which strives to create more awareness on road safety. It is important to recognize that together we can do so much more!

What you might not know about ArriveAlive.co.za:

• It is now 10 years since we started working on the Arrive Alive website – and on the 13^th of March 2013 it will be exactly 10 years since the launch of the Arrive Alive website.
   
• The website is a personal commitment towards creating road safety awareness in memory of my mom who died in a road traffic crash on the 3^rd of December 1972.
   
• Arrive Alive is a road safety strategy started by the Department of Transport in the late 1990’s.
   
• The Website received a Letter of Endorsement from The Department of Transport in 2007
   
• The development team consists of 1 full time and 2 “part time” members.
   
• The Arrive Alive website and online initiatives are not funded by the Department of Transport or the Road Traffic Management Corporation
   
• NO Funding was received in 2012 from the Department of Transport or the RTMC
   
• There is no marketing budget for these online road safety initiatives and it is funded through cooperation with the private sector.

• The 2012 road fatality statistics supports the belief that it is indeed time for desperate measures!
   
• We need to focus on the 5 E’s required for road safety - Engineering; Education; Encouragement; Enforcement; Evaluation.
   
• There is no place for personal egos in this evaluation - we all should be able to criticise, debate, and rectify what is lacking in our battle to ensure safer roads in South Africa.
   
• It is important to recognize that different parastatals, NGO’s, individuals and corporate initiatives have a variety of skills and expertise to address these E’s required for road safety.
   
• There is a wide variety of road safety initiatives both locally and internationally dedicated to road safety under a wide variety of tag lines.
   
• We need to encourage, promote one another and work together in preventing road injuries and fatalities where the end goal is far more important than personal successes.
   
• The Arrive Alive online initiative is merely one such initiative focusing specifically on raising road safety awareness online. 
   
• Our vision has always been to create an information portal focused on raising awareness of road safety, thereby enhancing Education with regards to road safety.
   
• We will strive to further strengthen these efforts in the next decade of our road safety commitment and seek to cooperate even closer with other road safety campaigns and initiatives.

At the start of the year we need to reflect on our online road safety initiatives during 2012.

This is done not only with the aim of providing feedback to our road safety partners, but also towards improving and defining strategies for 2013. The Arrive Alive website was launched on the 13th of March 2003 with the objective to provide the best possible information portal for Road Safety in South Africa. As new technology has become available, so have our efforts increased to use these technological advances in creating awareness of road safety and facilitating greater interaction between the public and road safety experts, groups and authorities.

Objectives with this Report

The Arrive Alive Website and related Road Safety Initiatives Overview 2012 will provide a detailed overview of:

• the progress made in 2012
   
• initiatives undertaken to improve road safety awareness
   
• mediums used to share information
   
• target audience and wider audience reached
   
• public interaction facilitated
   
• making this possible
   
• how to get involved

Highlights in 2012:

We are pleased that this is the 10^th year of our commitment towards road safety education and awareness.

The Arrive Alive website was an important portal to initiate discussion about road safety in 2012.

Through close cooperation and a committed effort to assist the printed and other media life - saving information were shared across a variety of platforms.

There were a significant number of cross-sharing of media activations with other road safety initiatives such as the Imperial i-Pledge Campaign, Drive More Safely, South Africans Against Drunk Driving etc

At the 2012 Mnet Tag Awards Driving Blind, for client "Arrive Alive" saw Mamta Ramjee being recognised for best concept  - this ad will be given free exposure on DSTV in 2013.

The Arrive Alive Online initiative has become much more than just a website.

New content pages developed and added during 2012 included:

• RoadCover and Personal Injury Claims to the Road Accident Fund
   
• Cycling, Rules of the Road and Road Safety
   
• Rules of the Road and Road Safety within Gated Estates
   
• Baby, Toddler and Booster Seats and Assistance to Parents in Need
   
• Vehicle maintenance and safety guide to roadworthiness of vehicles
   
• Brandhouse Number One Taxi Driver Campaign 2012
   
• History to the K53 Driving Test
   
• Road Safety Tips Easter 2012
   
• Buckle Up Road Safety Campaign focuses on Seatbelt Safety
   
• Hands-Free, Distracted Driving and Road Safety
   
• Road Safety and the science of good driving
   
• TomTom’s Traffic Manifesto and Traffic congestion
   
• Matrix Road Safety Association
   
• Accident Data on the N1 Cape Town to Northern Cape Border
   
• Skin Cancer and Safety on the Road
   
• Simulator Driver Training and Road Safety
   
• Road Safety and the K53 Learner’s & Driver’s Test
   
• Public Roads vs Private Roads and Traffic Enforcement
   
• Road Safety and the Suppression of Bus Fires
   
• New standard for fire suppression systems in engine compartments of buses and coaches
   
• Fleet Insurance for Commercial Vehicles and Road Safety
   
• Road Safety and Preventing Smash-and-Grab
   
• Pedestrian Safety Manual and Advice
   
• Spark Plugs and Safety on the Road
   
• Road Safety with a Cautious Smile for Festive Season 2012

The best tool to analyse traffic flow and visitor numbers is the technology offered through Google Analytics. We would like to share the website traffic as measured by Google Analytics from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012.

Mobile: ArriveAlive.mobi

Media releases and news stories have also been included during 2012 on the mobile road safety website at

www.arrivealive.mobi

Social Media and Campaigns

To reach a much wider audience for road safety it is important to reach those who are active in the social media environment. Not only is this important to share sections of content and road safety links, but also to share info about the road safety initiatives by our road safety partners.

The ArriveAlive.co.za  website is active on our own platforms on both Facebook and Twitter

As on 1 January 2013:

Facebook Fans 2916 http://www.facebook.com/ArriveAlive.co.za

Twitter: Your Tweets 12,966   Followers 9,019  @_ArriveAlive

We are also administrators on 2 larger platforms, allowing us to share news content and media releases with a much wider audience:

Proudly South Africa:  Facebook Fans 39,867

Rugby15: Facebook Fans 17,051    Twitter Followers: 23,571

Arrive Alive.co.za and Additional Media Exposure

It is important that we reach a far wider audience than those with access to the internet. The Arrive Alive online road safety initiatives are also aimed at journalists, reporters, researchers and teachers who are able to gather the road safety information and distribute to a wider audience.

We would like to focus on some of these other media that distributed the road safety information from the Arrive Alive website and recognized this. We have assisted these platforms in providing info, answering requests for information etc.

Magazines:

Cosmopolitan Magazine [Drive It]

Real Magazine

Traffic Focus

Kuier Magazine

Women’s Health Magazine

The Politician Magazine

TaxiNdaba magazine 

Longevity Magazine

Newspapers:

Rapport

Cape Times

TheNewAge

Volksblad

Die Burger

The Ripple Effect newspaper

Television

eNews feature on safe travel

SABC Morning Live

Educational

Assistance rendered to several publishers and publications, including:

Via Afrika Book Publishers

Project Title: “Principles of Marketing”    

"All About South Africa" A guide for young readers incorporating everything about SA. 

Texbooks

Grade 11 Life Orientation Learner Books

Oxford University: English for Success Grade 9

Afrikaans Sonder Grense Graad 5 Leesboek

Achieve English Grade 11 Learners Book

Solutions For All Business Studies Grade 12 Learners Book

Radio

The Arrive Alive website has been approached by several radio stations for interviews and road safety updates, especially during Easter and the December festive season. We have referred many of these to spokespersons at the Department of Transport and the RTMC, or have taken part in interviews radio stations such as:

Radio Sonder Grense

Radio Interview –Radio Rippel with CrisisOnCall

The Voice of the Cape radio station

Radio Rosestad

Company Circulars

The Arrive Alive website has been approached by many corporates with a request for information to be used in their own internal road safety campaigns. This has been included on the intranet of companies and in company newsletters. These companies and forums include:

Eqstra

CrisOnCall Newsletter

Champion, a Transnet safety publication.

Eskom’s internal publication

South African Insurance Crime Bureau Newsletter

Other Websites

An important benefit of an online information portal is the ability to share the website via other websites and blogs. The information from the Arrive Alive website or links to the website has been included on many prominent websites including:

News24 /Health24

Iol.co.za

TheNewAge

Traumasa.co.za

Capemetrorail.co.za

MyBroadband

TheNewAge

Longevitymag

Platinumweekly

Npa.gov.za

Intermediary and Consulting Services

To be not only an effective information portal, but also a mechanism for greater public involvement, we have developed sections to enhance greater public interaction. An often overlooked, yet very important objective is to assist the public in gaining clarity on road safety matters and provide responses to queries raised via the Arrive Alive website.

During 2012 these interactions included:

• Answering many questions from Students
   
• Assisting Companies with advice and information to be used in their own on-site road safety campaigns
   
• Providing feedback to other government departments such as the Department of Energy
   
• Making information available to other safety NGO’s such as Dementia SA

International Assistance:

The reach of the Arrive Alive online initiative is not restricted to the borders of South Africa. During 2012 assistance was requested from several international visitors and information shared with them, including the following:

• Osocio.org – International Non-profit Portal
   
• ILCAD  - International Level Crossing Publication
   
• MVA Fund Service Centre: Namibia
   
• Travel Advice Embassy of Ireland
   
• German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
   
• SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
   
• Train enthusiast in Brazil

Conferences

The Arrive Alive website has been a media partner to several Road Safety related Conferences

• 3rd Annual Intelligence Strategies For Law Enforcers
   
• Truckers' Forum 2012
   
• Leadership for women in Law Enforcement
   
• Strengthening The Role Of Women In Road Safety
   
• 2nd Southern African Road Safety Conference

Interaction with the Public

Herewith find a detailed summary of how public interaction was facilitated during 2012:

“Contact Us” on ArriveAlive.co.za

- Thousands of e-mails have been received via the “Contact Us” section - these have been responded to and forwarded to the Department of Transport, Road Traffic Management Corporation and various road safety experts for further comment.

These emails are kept in various email folders for later reference.

Emails received and Responded to from the Arrive Alive.co.za website:

Arrive Alive email 2011 Folder: 7071

Arrive Alive 2011 Folder: 2681

Blog Comments on the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog

- Visitors to the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog as well as Accidents Blog are able to comment on blog posts and also request clarification or answers to specific questions.

- These questions have been answered on the Blog and where appropriate a Blog post has been added to provide additional details to these responses and enable other visitors to benefit from these responses.

Emquiries & Ask the Experts 

- We enable the public to “Ask the Experts” . These experts provide specialised knowledge to members of the public on technical questions.

- Questions are referred to experts in the fields of licensing, testing, enforcement, road freight, legislation, safe driving etc and the answers are added to the website

The requests that could benefit many other visitors as well are also shared on the Blogs in a “Did you Know?” format.

The Wall of Remembrance on the ArriveAlive.co.za website has been developed to support and give recognition to the Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and compliment the efforts by Government and NGO’s to enhance awareness of road safety!

50 entries by families of road accident victims at 31 December 2012

Reports made via the Arrive Alive website to the National Traffic Call Centre at the RTMC

2822 Reports of Bad Driving & Road Condition Reports

News stories shared on the Arrive Alive Website during 2012

753 From Arrive Alive.co.za

625 Road Safety in the Media

287 Road Safety Highlights

219 Dept. of Transport

Partnerships and Collaboration

It has become more important to cooperate and collaborate in other initiatives as well. In a tough financial environment where NGO’s and small business struggle it has become vital for the survival of this road safety initiative to develop new platforms and to assist others with expertise and consulting services.

The hours of hard work and dedication that goes into these efforts are most often not fully understood and appreciated, and we would like to provide an overview to summarize the effort which has gone into these collaborations during 2012.

Road Safety Blogs

Insurance Blogs

Partnering with Miningsafety.co.za

In the 2010 Online Review we revealed that we will partner in the development of an online initiative to create awareness of safety in the mining industry. This was inspired by past cooperation with and assistance to mining companies in their own road safety campaigns.

It was our vision to share both content and expertise gained during the past few years as online safety consultant. We also expressed our belief that the Arrive Alive website can make a significant contribution to not only safety on our roads -but also to the safety in the Mining Industry!

We are pleased to confirm that this has culminated in the launch of the website at www.miningsafety.co.za on the 1^st of February 2011

Today we can reflect on both hard work and many successes in this partnership.

Road Safety Partners:

To create road safety awareness via the Arrive Alive website and other media we approached companies to partner in these efforts. From our side we provide exposure and recognition to these partners and their road safety involvement on the website and blogs. Our road safety partners as we enter 2013 are:

Arrive Alive:

Imperial –I-Pledge / Toyota South Africa/ OUTsurance / ER24/ TomTom/ Mix Telematics / PG Glass – Shatterprufe/ Gabriel/

Ctrack/ TracN4 /AutoZone /  RoadCover/ PSA/ Breathalayzers.co.za/  SMAC

Insurance Blogs:

OUTsurance / MiWay/ Virseker

Mining Safety:

ER24/ HSE/ iFatigue / Ctrack

We would also like to recognize individuals and groups that made important contributions:

• Chillies and Nelio for allowing us to operate from the Chillies offices in Bloemfontein.
   
• Charl Wilson for website development
   
• Pierre Steenkamp for graphics and multimedia
   
• Internext for webhosting
   
• All the experts – with a special word of appreciation to Howard Dembovsky, Clancinah Baloyi, David Frost, Rob Askew,  , Alta Swanepoel,Corne van de Venter,  Isaiah Mamabolo, Rob Handfield -Jones and Gavin Hoole for the numerous times they have assisted the public.
   
• Those individuals from the Department of Transport and the RTMC who were willing to answer many questions and providing feedback to the public
   
• Journalists, reporters, media editors, webmasters and everyone who assisted in the wider distribution of road safety information from the Website and Blogs
   
• Individuals from SANRAL and the RAF for feedback provided to questions from the Public.
   
• Family, friends and everyone who have been positive and provided words of inspiration.

How can I get involved?

We will continue to commit ourselves to these road safety efforts. There is so much more we can

achieve with the participation of both corporate South Africa and individuals. We recognize that

there are much expertise and knowledge to be gathered in strengthening these efforts.

We would like to invite others to become part of the road safety initiatives. This could include:

- Becoming an Arrive Alive Website partner

We will discuss with such partner how such partnering contribution can be used to develop new sections of content. The partner will be provided with exposure of such a partnership by way of:

Exposure to logos

Sections of Content

Horizontal and other banners/ graphics

Blog Posts and media exposure on the road safety initiatives and corporate social corporate responsibility initiatives of the Partner

- Advisor and Consulting Services

Every person can contribute to road safety irrespective of age, gender or financial status. We would like to invite the public to contribute by sending advice and recommendations on how to achieve greater road safety in South Africa.

We welcome any suggestions on new content or additional means of creating awareness that should be pursued.

We would like to invite visitors to contact us with suggestions at

Contact details:

Adv Johan Jonck

Cell: +27 (82) 370 0991

Email: jonckie@arrivealive.co.za

Click here to download the Arrive Alive online report 2012 in PDF format