Brussels Mobility will launch a prevention campaign in June after reporting 59 serious road accidents were caused by the failure to obey red traffic lights last year in Brussels alone.
'One minute at a red light, is that long?', aims to encourage road users to respect traffic lights, stated the regional public service in a press release on Friday.
At a time when the majority of accidents are caused by motorists, the number of pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter users involved continues to rise. Brussels Mobility highlights that it is a "shared responsibility," although the errors made by users do not have the same consequences in terms of "seriousness" or "risk to others."
Figures show that pedestrians are the most vulnerable, representing 29% of the victims; of those, 21% were seriously injured or died. Motorists, on the other hand, account for 22% of the victims; of those, only 2% were seriously injured or passed away. Together, cyclists and scooter users account for one-third of road accident victims (17% each), of whom 6% and 10% were seriously injured or died.
This campaign is part of the Brussels-Capital region's target of zero road fatalities and zero serious injuries by 2030. The opportunity to remind people that failing to obey red lights is not only a "serious offence" but that it can also "take other road users by surprise", leaving them with little time to react and adapt. As a result, the consequences of accidents are often dramatic and fatal.
The campaign's humorous tone for a serious matter hopes to reach as many people as possible. For example, it compares a minute's wait at a red light to "a minute's wait in front of an occupied toilet" or "being stuck for a minute with your father-in-law."
The objective is to show that all it takes is just a bit of patience for a "great outcome." The initiative advises road users, depending on their mode of transport, of the correct behaviour to adopt depending on the circumstances.
In the Brussels-Capital region, running an orange light is a 2nd degree offence (€116), and running a red light is a 3rd degree offence (€174).
