Could reckless driving in Lebanon come to an end with the new Cheyef 7alak crowd sourcing campaign?
There’s something uncanny about seeing yourself on video: somehow your manifested self looks and sounds nothing like the inner self. Your voice doesn’t sound like your own, your nose looks bigger than you think, and you see all kinds of physical gestures you never knew you made. Cringe.
At least, that was my experience. Our editor in chief basically agreed that I look like a complete dork in this You Tube clip compiled for a Mashallah news conference earlier this year, though at least I got geeked out for a good cause. But how does it feel when a stranger takes a photo or video clip of you acting like a complete jerk on the road? Embarrassed? Violated? Enough to change your behavior?
Cheyef 7alak is Arabic for “Do You See Yourself” and it’s the name given to crowd sourcing campaign to cut down on dangerous driving behavior. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran are all known for playing host to terrible drivers (read a harrowing account from a UAE man whose young, talented sister was killed by one such reckless driver), but knowing how to get them to improve is not so easy.
This is why the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation has endorsed a Corporate Social Responsibility campaign that is being run by the marketing and communications agency Impact BBDO with a view towards raising awareness of dangerous driving.
To be effective, Lebanese residents are urged to snap photographs and video footage of dangerous drivers, which will then be uploaded to the Cheyef 7alak website or Facebook page. In some cases, this footage could be posted by the LBC. And when this campaign is over, corruption is the next target.
So what do you think? Is shaming an effective way to stop shameful behavior? Can we use a similar tool for litterbugs and Hummer drivers? Feel free to post your comments below.
:: Springwise
More about dangerous driving in the Middle East:
UAE Man Campaigns Against the Reckless Driving that Killed his Sister
Reckless Driving Kills 3 People in the UAE Every Day
Saudi Arabia Has the Highest Accident Death Toll in the World
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
