Challenge
Any number is too many is a community-based initiative to help prevent deaths on southern roads. At its heart is the recognition that local people know local roads, and that local knowledge should inform road safety solutions.
The NZ Transport Agency and Southern Road Safety Influencing Group appointed SenateSHJ to assist with its programme. We needed to bring communities together to talk about road risk, to inspire them to care about it, and to help people understand that crashes are preventable.
Approach
We needed to grow communities of people who cared about road risk and wanted to talk about it. We also wanted the ability to tell real and personal stories that captured community pledges of support. Facebook was a natural fit, as it provided a place for members of the community to join the cause and to grow conversations. Facebook allowed us to reach at least 50% of our target audience (identified through two years of research). We also created a simple website.
The success of Any number is too many depended on local partners. We took a visuals-first approach, working collaboratively with local and agency partners to create engaging and authentic content. These partners showed incredible support for community conversations about road safety, and demonstrated how important it was to the local community. This helped us quickly build awareness and demonstrate the human element of our story.
Outcome
Any number is too many launched in October 2017. By April 2018, our Facebook page had more than 1,200 likes and its engagement rates ranged from 6% - 21%. Over this time, content on the Facebook page reached approximately 465,000 people. In April 2018, the programme was evaluated and found to be increasing the level of care and stimulating public conversations about road risk. As intended, the programme channels have now been handed over to local stakeholders to maintain and grow the movement.
