Making it cool: Creative campaign raises awareness of road safety

Georgian students are spreading road safety messages to the people of capital Tbilisi to raise awareness of road safety.

Students of Ilia State University and Art Academy painted a pedestrian crossing red and white, and decorated it with yellow flowers to make the pedestrian crossing more visible for drivers.

This was part of a new road safety campaign, titled ‘Paint Safety’, to bring attention to pedestrian crossings in Georgia’s capital.

Drivers are required to stop if people want to cross at a pedestrian crossing however very few actually do. Similarly, pedestrians sometimes walked into the traffic without checking if the road was clear.

Georgian students painted a pedestrian crossing red and white, and decorated it with yellow flowers and traffic signs. Photo by Goga Chanadiri. 

Last year 90 people died and 3,834 were injured in road accidents in Tbilisi.

Pedestrians were among the victims of road accidents. Last year 43 pedestrian died and 1,035 pedestrians were injured in road accidents, said Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads.

Photographer Goga Chanadiri, who was involved in the project, said several private companies would offer funds to paint other zebra crossings within the ‘Paint Safety’ campaign.

The first pedestrian crossing to be painted in vibrant colours was on Beliashvili St in Tbilisi’s Didube district.

The ‘Paint Safety’ campaign was a small part of the ‘For your sake, for your safety’ campaign, which was initiated by Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The ‘Paint Safety’ campaign was a small part of the ‘For your sake, for your safety’ campaign. Photo by Goga Chanadiri. 

Employees of Didube Gamgeoba and Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs distributed stickers to pedestrians and drivers that spread messages of road safety.

The road safety campaign will continue tomorrow on Chavchavadze Ave in Tbilisi’s Vake district, where Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads together with other organisations will spread the message that the pavement belongs to pedestrians.

"Tomorrow’s campaign aims to remind drivers that the pavement belongs to pedestrians. We will call them not to park their cars on the pavements,” Eka Laliashvili, head of Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads told Agenda.ge.

"We will also call the police patrol to enforce the legislation and fine drivers who park on the sidewalk,” she said.

Campaigners will leave stickers for drivers who park on the pavements, which say: "Don’t park here! The pavement belongs to pedestrians!”

Employees of Didube Gamgeoba and Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs distributed stickers to pedestrians and drivers that spread messages of road safety. Photo by Goga Chanadiri.