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Diamond miner uses youtube to convey strong road safety message

Diamond miner uses youtube to convey strong road safety message

The remote location of its operating base and the long distances its employees had to travel, prompted offshore diamond mining company, Debmarine, to start an intensive road safety campaign among its own employees.

The momentum generated by this internal campaign has now spilled over to a general road safety awareness campaign via a short 5-minute video on youtube, and concerted support to law enforcement officials. Watch video here https://youtu.be/fZGJox75ODo

Debmarine said it routinely captures and monitors road-related accident statistics of its employees. These statistics indicated that employees are more at risk travelling, than when they are working. This led to the introduction of the internal Safety Ripple Campaign to sensitise employees and promote dialogue on the various aspects of risky road behaviour to encourage a responsible safety culture and behaviour.

Road safety monitoring eventually showed clearly that accidents are almost always related to speeding, risky driving, drunken driving, and poor vehicle maintenance.

“Road Safety requires not only driver fitness, but also vehicle fitness. A well maintained vehicle not only speaks volumes about the owner, but also will protect its driver and passengers on the road. The video shows the diverse reactions of Namibian drivers/passengers from all walks of life, when suddenly being confronted with possible drastic consequences of vehicle failure on roads. It is a clear call-to-action to most Namibian drivers to regularly service their vehicles, especially in December, as fatal accidents rise at this time of the year,” stated Debmarine.

The company’s Communications Manager, Stella Auala said: “Short cuts and quick fixes are risky. It is best to leave the servicing of your vehicle in the hands of trained mechanics. Theey have the knowledge and adequate tools to diagnose and correct problems and to ensure that you and other road users are safely back on the road.”

Describing the disturbing video as a social experiment to drive home the issue of proper vehicle maintenance, Debmarine said it is part of their external campaign targetting a wider public audience as a responsible corporate citizen to encourage other corporates and citizens to address and promote road safety, as a social responsibility.

This campaign stresses the need to make road safety a habit rather than an act of compulsion to follow the rules.

Spotting risky behaviour and making drivers aware of the importance of vehicle maintenance, are both elements of the Debmarine campaign. “For every person killed in a crash, many more suffer serious injuries with life-changing consequences. Serious injuries are not only more common but often also more costly to society because of long rehabilitation and healthcare needed.

Drunken driving is another leading cause of accidents and fatalities. From a practical perspective, Debmarine is supporting law enforcement through a very substantial donation of a large batch of breathalyzers to the Private Sector Road Safety Forum.


Captured earlier this week when Debmarine made a N$130,000 donation of breathalyzers to the Private Sector Road Safety Forum. From the left, Horst Heimstädt of the Road Safety Forum, Stella Ipinge of Debmarine, Sydney Boois of the MVA Fund, and Anna Ingwafa, also of Debmarine.


 

 

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