Voi launches educational safety campaign as Road Safety Week kicks off

Voi is kicking off Road Safety Week 2021 by launching an educational safety campaign to help keep riders safe this winter.

From 15th-21st November, road safety charity Brake is holding its annual week of awareness-raising and, this year, Voi is kicking off its winter safety campaign by sharing top tips across its channels, including regular in-app messages, a dedicated webpage, as well as an online safety webinar to encourage users to take extra care and make sure they are visible at night.

Voi’s top tips for riding safely and sustainably this winter include:

1. RideLikeVoila is Voi’s online traffic school. Riders will receive credits once they’ve completed the course to spend on rides this winter
2. Turn on the ‘Beginner’s mode’. Users are advised to turn on the ‘Beginner’s mode’, particularly if they are first-time riders, for a slower ride which automatically reduces the maximum speed to 10mph
3. See and be seen when riding a Voi. Voi’s e-scooters and e-bikes are equipped with lights and built-in reflectors. Voi advises users to stay warm and wear additional reflective clothing or a helmet light during the winter period
4. Remember to wear a helmet. Voi gives free helmets at its safety events and to Monthly Pass users, who can get a free folding helmet from Closca when they sign up
5. Riders should keep their eyes on the road, especially if the roads are slippery or icy. Users are advised to slow down and to avoid taking abrupt turns

Besides regular in-app messages, Voi has also produced an animation to share via social media to reinforce its winter messaging here.

To encourage safer riding during the winter months, Voi is also hosting a free safety webinar on 18th November. Those who register and attend will receive a free Voi-branded helmet.

In addition, Voi’s in-app features such as the ‘End Ride Photo’ incentivise users to park their e-scooters safely, otherwise they could receive a penalty, whilst the ‘Helmet Selfie’ detects and rewards riders for wearing a helmet to encourage safer riding behaviour.

Voi’s geofencing technology creates NoRide, SlowRide, and Mandatory Parking Zones, ensuring riders, pedestrians, and other roads are kept safe.

Matthew Pencharz, head of policy, UK, Ireland and Benelux, said: “Safety is at the forefront of everything we do at Voi and our scooters are designed in Sweden so, when it comes to winter, we’ve got this.

“Brake’s Road Safety Week gives us an opportunity to kick off our winter campaign to encourage riders to be more aware and considerate of the conditions. As our annual Safety Report states, we aim for safer streets with shared micromobility. Just as we educate our riders to always keep their eyes on the road, we will never take our eyes off the ball when it comes to safety.

“To achieve Voi’s Vision Zero target by 2030, we need riders on board and, with this campaign, we invite them to fully understand the importance of adhering to our safety top tips – be visible, ride with care if the road is slippery or icy, and take advantage of our safety education in order to enjoy the fun side of this environmental-friendly form of transport.”

Jason Wakeford, head of campaigns at Brake, said: “Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest annual road safety campaign and is a great opportunity to speak up for road safety. This year everyone can acknowledge and celebrate the heroic efforts of people working to save lives on roads across the country – and recognise that we can all be road safety heroes by using roads safely and taking actions for road safety in our families, schools, communities and where we work.

“We would urge everyone to visit the Road Safety Week website for loads of ways to take part in the campaign all this week.”