13 February 2012

The A-one+ road maintenance joint venture (jv), of which Costain is part, is funding a hard-hitting radio advertising campaign to alert drivers to the risks of driving into coned-off work zones.

The series of three advertisements superimposes the sound of a rapidly-approaching vehicle over the sound of typical workplaces – one of them, a busy office. Screams of staff can be heard as the vehicle seemingly crashes into desks, horn blaring.

The advertisement voiceover then says: ‘If a car went ploughing through your workplace, you’d be shocked. But, for the workers who keep our roads in good order, the road IS their workplace.  So the next time you’re tempted to run a red light or ignore a reduced speed limit, think about them. Think about their families.’

Breaches of workzones have become a weekly occurrence, says Stuart Cordier, Operations Director at A-one+. The causes vary, but regularly include drivers falling asleep at the wheel, motorists blindly obeying satnav instructions that take them straight through lines of cones, drunk drivers and sheer impatience.

“We’ve had a number of accidents with lorries hitting traffic management vehicles,” he says. “We had a serious one this year – luckily nobody was hurt, but we were getting more and more concerned about the situation.”

Drivers tend only to see cones on the road, rather than realise their significance – that they are there to protect road workers.

A-one+ has provided significant funding to pay for 520 advertisements over two weeks on commercial stations Real Radio and Smooth Radio in the four regions – Northeast, Northwest, East Midlands and Yorkshire where the jv handles roadworks for the agency.

It is the first time the jv has funded such advertisements, but research has shown that when previously broadcast in other areas they have helped improve driver recognition of the problem.

“It’s just to try to make people think,” says Stuart. “If that was your workplace and you were sitting at your desk, would you be happy with a 40-tonne lorry coming past at 56mph?”

A-one+ comprises Costain, Colas and Halcrow.

Ends