REGINA - Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways has launched a multimedia ad campaign aimed at promoting safety on the roads this winter.
At a screening at Cineplex in Normanview, Regina, officials previewed the 30-second public service announcement that will run on television, in movie theatres and on online platforms to encourage people to use the Highway Hotline.
The ad centres around a family checking to make sure they had all their winter items as well as checking the Highway Hotline before heading out on the road. The idea, officials said, was to encourage people to include the Highway Hotline as part of their daily routine.
Another ad, which also will be running in theatres and on TV, is aimed at promoting awareness of snow plows and the hazards created when driving near them. It points out that snowplows create a mini-blizzard and the ad urges motorists to not get lost in the snow clouds, to slow down around snow plows, and to stay back and stay safe.
Tom Lees, assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Highways, said the campaign was “really about creating awareness about the operations that we’re delivering in the winter… we want everyone to get home safely at the end of the day.”
Among those at the screening Wednesday was Bryan Sherman, equipment operator with the Ministry of Highways. He noted that as part of his responsibilities he regularly calls in to update Highway Hotline on road conditions as they change.
“We’re out there, we’re (updating) the road conditions as we’re on the road. Each section of the road could change within minutes, really.”
Sherman also recounted a scary incident last year that highlights the need for people to be cautious on the road during the winter.
He had been treating an ice covered section of road between Yellow Grass and Lang on a road listed on Highway Hotline as “travel not recommended.” During that assignment, a driver trying to pass a lineup of about six vehicles suddenly lost control, and drove in front of Sherman, just missing his snow plow and landing in the ditch. He called it “hair raising.”
“It could’ve been way more serious. It’s just a reminder of how quickly things can unfold,” said Sherman.
Outside, Sherman posed for cameramen beside a large Ministry of Highways snow plow machine regularly used on the highways to both clear the snow and salt and treat the roads. Sherman believes Highway Hotline has become more widely used by the public as technology has evolved.
“I think with the technology nowadays with the Highway Hotline, it helps everybody make an informed decision before they head out on the road,” said Sherman.
“(I) definitely notice a difference in the last few years – people must be checking in because the traffic, when it’s really bad out there, it’s going down.”
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