AANT road-safety campaign targets male driver safety using flowers

Roads body AANT is taking a floral approach to promoting men’s safety on the roads. Read what they’re doing.

Road services provider AANT has launched a new campaign to try and stop young men from dying on Northern Territory roads.

The Blooms for Blokes road safety campaign will take to the streets this week in two Top End locations to reinforce the exposure young men have to fatal road crashes.

AANT chief executive Simon Matthias said over the past decade 283 males lost their lives on NT roads, almost two-and-a-half times the 121 women who were killed over the same period.

Research shows Territorians are nearly three times more likely to be killed in a road crash than anywhere else in Australia.

AANT chief executive Simon Matthias.

To mark the event and to spark conversation about road safety, AANT representatives will be at Darwin Mall on Tuesday, December 3 between 11.30am and 12.30pm and at Coolalinga Central Shopping Centre on December 7 between 11am and 12pm distributing flowers to shoppers.

Mr Matthias said he hoped the simple act of giving a flower would reinforce the importance of men driving safely and arriving home after being in their cars, motorbikes or trucks.

“It’s eye-opening,” Simon Matthias said.

“A lot of men don’t take the time to talk about their safety, especially when it comes to driving.

“There’s this ‘it won’t happen to me’ mentality, but the reality is it’s more likely to happen to you. If we want to keep our mates, dads, sons and brothers safe, we need to have that conversation.

“Give the flower and have the conversation. It matters because you matter.”

AANT member experience officer Rachel Drury said the campaign wanted to reinforce that all drivers mattered.

“For many men, the first time they ever receive flowers is at their funeral,” she said.

“This campaign is about showing the important men in our lives - our brothers, fathers, uncles, friends and partners - that we want them to come home safe.”

Last month, police released statistics that showed 71 per cent of the NT’s then 52 road deaths were alcohol or drug-related and 35 per cent involved speed.

Originally published as AANT road-safety campaign targets male driver safety using flowers