NRSPP’s ‘Respect Traffic Controllers’ campaign wins third place for the International Safety Media Award 2024

The National Road Safety Partnership Program’s (NRSPP) campaign, Respect Traffic Controllers, has been honoured with third place for the International Safety Media Award 2024, at the Safety 2024 Conference in Delhi. This accolade highlights our commitment to using an evidence-based approach to enhancing safety and fostering respect on our roads.

The NRSPP is a collaborative network which aims to support Australian businesses in developing a positive road safety culture. The NRSPP is hosted and delivered by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and each year creates hundreds of resources on workplace road safety, including an annual safety campaign.

The Respect Traffic Controllers campaign was developed to humanise and support traffic controllers, who play a crucial role in ensuring our roads are safe. The campaign’s core objective was to minimise the verbal and physical abuse directed at these vital workers and to foster empathy and understanding among road users.

Campaign Highlights

Research-driven: The campaign is grounded in evidence-based research, including a 2023 report from the Australian Road Research Board which revealed that 54% of road workers face verbal or physical abuse from the public. Despite drivers’ beliefs that they are cautious around roadworks, data from Paolo (2012) showed that 49.4% of vehicles exceed the temporary speed limit by 20 km/h or more. The campaign also included real-world insights from the Traffic Management Association of Australia’s first longitudinal Industry Survey (2023) of what is happening to traffic controllers on the road helping provide quantify the mental abuse they experience daily.

Collaborative: The development of the materials was co-designed with a range of industry partners whose lived experiences are reflected in the campaign, including TMAA, Roads Australia, Fulton Hogan and Altus; and design experts such as SenseMap, Swinburne University and the Queensland University of Technology.

Empathy through storytelling: To build respect for traffic controllers, the campaign shared personal stories of abuse and mistreatment. By highlighting these experiences, it aimed to foster empathy and open conversations about the challenges traffic controllers face. 

Rollout: The campaign officially launched during Road Safety Week in May 2023. It encouraged industry partners and stakeholders to join and spread the important message.

The International Safety Media Award recognises the effectiveness and impact of our campaign in addressing a critical safety issue.

Campaign Development

The campaign was developed by Grace Harries and Manal Rizwan, the NRSPP’s 2022/23 Design Interns as part of their 12-month internship. Each year NRSPP hosts two students from the Swinburne University Communications and Design course for 12-months to provide them with the opportunity to work on projects with real-world impact. 

Manal Rizwan reflects on the most fulfilling experience of managing and designing the campaign.

“One of the most fulfilling experiences of managing and designing the ‘Respect Traffic Controllers’ campaign with Grace was the opportunity to shine a light on such a vital issue. By combining our skills and passion, we created a campaign with a strong message: that no form of abuse is acceptable in any workplace, and that traffic controllers, who work tirelessly to keep our roads safe, deserve our respect and understanding. 

“This campaign holds a special place in our hearts, as Grace and I dedicated several months of heartfelt effort to ensure we truly captured and conveyed the daily challenges faced by traffic controllers,” Rizwan said.

Grace Harries discusses a specific aspect of the campaign she is particularly proud of, “I’m particularly proud of the interviews we filmed with the traffic controllers. We realised early in our development that we couldn’t make a campaign about traffic controllers without showcasing their perspective. All of their stories and insights were extremely powerful and crucial in the creation and message of the campaign. 

“It was a good challenge because Manal and I hadn’t held interviews or used filming equipment before, which made it that much more rewarding to push ourselves to get to our incredible end result,” Harries said.

Traffic Controller Industry Reflections

“The TMAA commends the NRSSP team for their outstanding Respect Traffic Controller campaign, ” says Matthew Bereni, TMAA CEO. This campaign put the spotlight on a major issue that affects the safety and wellbeing of traffic controllers. “A recent study by the TMAA shows that over 50% of Traffic Controllers experience verbal abuse on a weekly basis. This is unacceptable and campaigns like ‘Respect Traffic Controller’ help change behaviours,” says Mr Bereni.

Find the campaign here – https://www.nrspp.org.au/respect-traffic-controllers/