PRAGUE,
May 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On April
3rd, the Czech Republic
remembered National Delay Day, an initiative established by the
Czech Insurance Association to encourage a nationwide slowdown.
Businesses, educational institutions, cultural landmarks, and local
communities across the country participated in a collective
reflection on the perils of haste, especially on the road.
April 3rd symbolized a collective
pause in the national daily rush, reminding everyone that haste is
often needless, particularly at critical moments, such as when
driving. This reminder was underscored by the Police of the
Czech Republic, which noted that
in 2023 alone, 138 road deaths were reported due to excessive
speeding.
The Czech Insurance Association's survey revealed
that the rush to save time is the primary cause of speeding, with
nine out of ten Czech drivers admitting to breaching speed limits,
and 43 % doing so to make up for being late. In the past ten years
since 2014, excessive speed has resulted in 134,891 traffic
accidents in Czechia, with 51,488 of these incidents having serious
consequences.
"This specific day allowed us to afford people a
bit more time to decelerate and recognize that not everything is an
urgent matter, and that arriving a few minutes late is often
preferable to not arriving at all," explained Jan Matoušek, CEO of
the Czech Insurance Association, which spearheaded last year's
initiative. "The public's interest has reaffirmed the importance of
persisting with this activity, prompting us to involve additional
corporate partners this year to help propagate this philosophy
among their staff and clientele."
Delay of the World-Famous Timekeeping
Symbol
As the country slowed down, the Prague
Astronomical Clock, a symbol of timekeeping, stood still, marking
the day with a symbolic pause to its hourly procession. The famous
"Walk of the Apostles," an hourly show of moving Apostle figures
and other sculptures, changed its scheme for the first time in
history. Notably, the figure of a skeleton that represents Death
did not strike the time this year, but instead marked the 138 lives
lost in car accidents caused by speeding in the past year.
In support of this reflection on speed and
safety, the Czech Football Association along with MOL – the chain
of gas stations and the main partner of the football league,
delayed the MOL Cup semifinal kick-off, using the national platform
to echo the day's message.
"The symbolic delay of the MOL Cup semifinal
kick-off served as a reminder to both fans and the football
community that haste can lead to unnecessary risks. I am hoping
that this initiative will contribute to a shift in the alarming
accident and casualty statistics," commented Petr Fousek, Chairman of the FAČR.
Business Involvement
The impact of National Delay Day was evident in
the amount of involvement from partners across different
disciplines: companies such as BMW, petrol stations MOL, delivery
service DPD, bikesharing service Rekola, telecommunications company
Vodafone, groceries delivery Rohlik.cz all emphasized the
unnecessary rushing in their communications, along with many other
large companies.
For instance, MOL promoted the MOL MOVE
initiative, motivating drivers to safely pause and rest at petrol
stations to prevent hazardous driving. NN Life Insurance and
Generali Czech Insurance, as well as components of the integrated
rescue system, including the Police of the Czech Republic, supported the project by
embracing the initiative's message and contributing to the
nationwide effort to promote safer roads.
Media support for the project was pledged by
Czech National Television and nationwide radio stations such as
Evropa 2, Frekvence 1, and Bonton, all of which postponed selected
program broadcast times. Cultural institutions like Cirk La Putyka
theatre, Aerofilms, and the National Theatre participated, with the
National Theatre postponing its ballet performance titled "bpm" on
April 3rd, which contemplates the
rhythm and pulse of the human heart. Many Czech celebrities and
influencers followed the initiative as well.
The Leading Voice in Road Safety
National Delay Day built on the success of the 13
MINUTES Prequel project of the Czech Insurance Association, aiming
to encourage public contemplation on the perils of speeding and
rushing while driving. It called upon all drivers to decelerate and
ponder whether haste justifies the risk to their own and others'
safety.
National Delay Day's complete list of activities and
partnering organizations is available
at https://www.13minut.cz/bez-spechu/manifest_en.pdf
Video:
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2412656/Marked_National_Delay_Day.mp4
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pragues-iconic-astronomical-clock-paused-in-national-reflection-on-speed-as-the-czech-republic-marked-national-delay-day-302145441.html
SOURCE The Czech Insurance Association