Grim Reaper haunts CBD intersections

Local man, Ralph Barton, won a competition in the Midweek newspaper to find a lookalike for the spooky character seen on the national 'Intersections: Bad Calls Can Be Deadly' adverts. Ralph's "prize" - if you can call it that - was to sit at some of the district's most troublesome intersections with the Wheel of Misfortune as seen on the TV ads.

Public reaction to the campaign has been hugely positive, with Ralph receiving lots of toots, waves and thumbs up. A number of people even stopped to have their picture taken with the Grim Reaper and his wheel.

The project was funded by Roadsafe Taranaki, and was supported by ACC and New Plymouth Police.

Channa Perry, Safe Community Programme Manager who co-ordinated the event, highlighted the benefits of running a local initiative that was linked to a high profile national advertising campaign.

"Having the national campaign to back up what we are doing is excellent as it is fresh in people's minds and motorists passing the Grim Reaper and his Wheel know exactly what message we are trying to put across. Intersections are a common site of crashes in New Plymouth and we want people to take more care and attention at intersections to reduce their risk of crash related injury or death."

Sergeant Pat Duffy, of New Plymouth Police, highlighted the key campaign message that 'No-one needs to arrive DEAD on time" by adding:

"The majority of crashes at intersections are caused by impatience and a lack of attention. Drivers need to slow down and take more care."