WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

TheTACWipe Off5Campaign

Introduction

LessspeedingonVictoria’sroadsisoneoftheTAC’stoproadsafetyobjectives. TheWipeOff5campaign commencedin August2001.Todate,it hascombinedtwophases-massmediaadvertising(television,radio andbillboard)andPoliceenforcementsupportedbypublicity-to convincedriversthatasmalldropof5km/hinspeedreducestheriskofacrash.It aimsto dispelthemyththatexceedingthelimitby5to 10km/his“safe”. IfeveryVictoriandriverreducedtheiraveragespeedby5km/h,some95livescouldbesavedand1,300 seriousinjuries preventedinoneyear.

SpeedMatters

Thedemandsonthedriveraregreaterasspeedsincrease.Thereislesstimetorespondtochangingroadandtrafficconditionsandmaketherightdecisions. Dangeroussituationscanarisemoreeasily,for example,avehicleveeringontoanunsealedshoulderoftheroadandlosingcontrol. Theabilityto reacttocriticalerrorsthat otherdriversmightmake,orrespondcorrectlyto unexpectedemergenciesthatcanarise,is reduced.Greaterdistanceisneededtostopavehicleinordertoavoidacrash.

Incrashesat higherspeedsthebodywillbe subjectedtophysicalforcesthatitcannotwithstandwithoutsevereinjury. Higherspeedswillreducetheprotectionthatseatbeltsandairbagsaredesignedtoprovide. Pedestriansandbicyclistsstruckbyvehiclestravellingatrelativelylowspeedswillbeseverelyinjured,and almostcertainlykilledathigherspeeds.

WhatRecentResearchShows

Animportantconclusionfromrecentresearchisthatevensmallchangesinspeedcanreduceroaddeathsandsevere injuries. Thisappliestotravelonbothurbanandruralroads. Themainresearchfindingsinclude:

Ina metropolitanarea

  • theriskof involvementina casualtycrashincreasesexponentially,doublingwitheach5km/hincreasein travelspeedsabove60km/h
  • speedingin anurbanareais asdangerousasdrivingwithanillegalbloodalcoholconcentration(BAC);eventravellingat65 km/hincreasestheriskofbeinginacrashasmuchasdrivingwithaBACof.05
  • a5 km/hreductioninaveragetravelspeedwouldresultina reductionofatleast15%inthenumberof casualtycrashes

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

Inaruralarea:

  • theriskof involvementinacasualtycrashismorethantwiceasgreatwhentravelling10km/habove theaveragespeedofvehicles;it is nearlysixtimesasgreatwhentravelling20km/habovetheaveragespeed
  • a5 km/hreductioninthespeedof vehicleswouldresultin arounda30%reductionincasualtycrashes

WhyDoesaSmallChangeinAverageSpeedMakeSuchaDifference?

In general,acartravellingat60 km/hwilltakeabout45 metresto stopunderhardbraking. Acarbrakingfrom

65km/hwillstillbemovingatcloseto32km/hafteradistanceof45metres. Itwillstopafterhavingtravelled

51 metres-an increaseinstoppingdistanceof13%.

Itfollowsthatadrivertravellingat60km/hwillbeinvolvedinfewercrashesbyavoidingthoseinthezonefrom

45to51 metres. Mostimportantly,thedifferenceof5 km/hintravellingspeedcanbe thedifferencebetweenno impactandcollidingat32km/h.

Thehigherspeedsinruralareasmagnifytheeffectofdifferencesintravelspeeds. Itrequires100metresto stopinan emergencyfrom100km/h-from120km/hitrequires130metres. Atthepointwhereacar travelling at100km/hisabletostop,thefastercarwillstillbetravellingat73km/h. Thisdifferenceinspeedof20km/hcanbethedifferencebetweenno impactandoneata speedof 73km/h.

Therelationshipbetweenvariousspeedsandstoppingdistanceis illustratedin thetablebelow.

Drivers’AttitudestoSpeed

Astudyof theattitudes,knowledgeandbehaviourof driversinrelationtospeedwasconductedbySweeney Researchin MarchandJune2001in advanceofthelaunchoftheWipeOff5campaign. Itconfirmedthat“lowlevel”speedingis typicalamongstalldriveragegroups.Someof themainfindingswere:

  • whilethemajority(over80%)believedthatspeedisa majorcauseof accidents,mostadmittedtodrivingoverthespeedlimit“someofthetime”;therewerealsosignificantnumbersofdriversthatdoso“halfthetime”,“most”or“all”ofthetime
  • mostofthosewhoexceedthespeedlimitdo so by9km/hor less-typically5km/h
  • manypeopledon’tbelievethatanythingupto10km/habovethelimitconstitutesspeeding

Speedingcanbedividedintothreemaincategories:

LowLevelwherethespeedlimitis typicallyexceededbyaround5km/h,whichisdonebythemajorityofdrivers

Excessivewherespeedingisa deliberateactofchoiceandthespeedlimitisexceededbyaconsiderabledegree

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

Inappropriatewherethespeedlimitisnotnecessarilyexceeded-butwheredrivingconditionsthatshouldleadto lowerspeedsareignorede.g. whentheroadiswetorvisibilityislow

TheTAChastakenthepositionthatif theprevailingattitudesaboutspeedingareto bechanged,greater emphasis mustbeplacedoninfluencingthebeliefsandbehaviour ofdriversasawhole. Ratherthan concentratingonlyonasmallgroupofdrivers(forexampleyounghabitualspeedingoffenders)thetargetgroupmustincludedriversofallages,bothmaleandfemale,throughoutVictoria.

DevelopmentoftheTACAdvertisingCampaignforWipeOff5

Theevolutionofaspecificadvertisingcampaigntypicallytakesanumberofstages,assummarisedbelow:

EstablishingtheRoadSafetyObjectives

Whilemotoristsgenerallyacceptthatthereisaconnectionbetweenspeedand safety,andthatveryhighspeedsaredangerous,fewbelievethatsmallreductionsinthespeedof travel-suchas5km/h- havesignificanteffectsonreducingcrashes. Itfollowsthatifmotoristscouldbeconvincedofthislink,andchangetheir behaviour,manycrasheswouldbeprevented. Ontheonehand,therequiredchangein behaviourdoesnot involve majorsacrifice,or causeanysignificantlosstomostindividuals(suchasgreatlyincreasedtraveltime).On theother,thegeneralperceptionthatexceedingthespeedlimitbyasmallamountdoesnot constitutespeedingpresentsaformidablechallenge.

TheTAC’sWipeOff5campaignformspartofabroader,longertermVictorianprogramtoreducespeedsbasedon threelinkedstrategies:

  • reductioninthespeedlimitonlocalstreetsthroughoutVictoriafrom60km/hto50km/h (implementedwith supportingpublicityfromJanuary2001)
  • provisionof informationusingthemassmediatoreinforcetheprovenbenefitsof reducinglowlevelspeeding -thecentralmessageofWipeOff5
  • moreintensivePoliceenforcementofspeedlimitsto deterpotentialoffenders-includingtheuseof extra speedcameras,morehoursofcameraoperation,lessvisiblecarsandcamera locations-supported by higherpenalties

Theultimateandlongtermaimofthecampaignistoconvincethecommunitythatspeedingisasanti-socialanddangerousasdrivingwithanillegalbloodalcoholcontent.

Developmentof CreativeAdvertisingConcepts

Asnotedearlier,akeyfindingofthesurveyconductedbySweeneyResearchwasthatthemajorityofdrivers foundit hardto acceptthata5km/hreductionin speedmadeasignificantdifference. Variousadvertisingandpublicrelationsconceptstoconvincedriversofthevalueofa5km/hreductioninspeed, andtopublicisethesharpincreaseinPoliceenforcement,weredevelopedbyGreyWorldwide. Duringthisstageofcampaigndevelopment,theemphasisison exposinga widerangeof ideasandstylistictreatmentsforconsideration-for example, balancingemotionalanddramaticelementswiththepresentationoffactual information.Theideasincluded:

  • alternativepresentationshighlightingdeathsandseriousinjuriesasdirectconsequencesof speeding
  • showingtypicalexamplesofrisksencounteredwhenspeedingin 60km/hand80km/hzones-highlightingtherealdifferenceasmallchangeinspeedcanmake
  • computerreconstructionofacrashsceneidentifyingtheroleofspeedincausingthecrashandhowa reducedspeedwouldhavepreventedafatality
  • placingemphasison thefactthattravellingjust5 km/hoverthe60 km/hlimitdoublestheriskofacrash

TestingoftheConceptswithFocusGroups

FollowingreviewbytheTAC,severalofthepreferredconceptsweretestedin focusgroupdiscussions comprisingasampleofmotoristswhoadmittoregularlydrivingoverthespeedlimit. Thoroughresearchatthis

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

stageidentifiesthestrengthsandweaknessesofdifferentideasandproposedmessages. Itenablesweakideas tobediscardedandthemoreeffectiveonestobefurtherdeveloped.

Thesediscussionsfoundthatanadvertisingideawithpotentialtoinfluencemotoristswasthatdriversshould“expect theunexpected”. Itgaveaconvincingreasonastowhyevenarelativelysmallreductioninspeedwasworthwhile. Otherthemesviewedpositivelyincluded:

  • agreaterfocusoninjuries(moresothanfatalities)
  • emphasisonthe“doublingofthecrashrisk”message
  • using everydaydrivingsituations
  • showingproofofthedifference5km/hcanmake
  • using60-80km/hspeedzonestoachievegreaterrealism-the5km/hlessmessagewasmorelikelytohave impactinthesesettings

ProductionandTestingofAdvertisements

Newscriptsweresubsequentlypreparedas thebasisforproductionof twoseriesofadvertisementsfeaturing:

  • thepresentationof thecentralideathata speeddifferenceof5 km/hcandeterminewhetheradriverstops safelyorisinvolvedinacrash
  • thesharpincreaseinthechancesofbeingcaughtforspeedingasaresultofmoreintensivebutlessvisiblePoliceenforcementactivity

Bothseriesofadvertisementsweresubjectedto furtherfocusgroupanalysis. Somechangeswereidentifiedandincludedin newversions,alsotestedwithfocusgroups. Thefinalseriesofadvertisements produced comprised:

  • History-acompilationusingbriefextractsfrompreviouslyshownTACadvertisementswithaspeedingtheme
  • Doubles-presentingthecoremessagethattravellingat5 km/hoverthelimitcanmakethedifferencebetween survivalor seriousinjurywhentheunexpectedoccurs
  • Evidence,NewCars,Spot,NightSpot-fouradvertisementshighlightingincreased enforcementandthedifficultydriverswillhaveinbeingabletodetectwherespeedcamerasareoperating

SelectionofMediafor theCampaign

Thekeymessagesofthecampaignmustreachtheaudienceinthemostconvincingway. Television,radio andprinteachplayaroleineffectivemasscommunication. Televisionisthepreferredchoiceforcommunicatingmessages that“setthe agenda”onissuessuchasspeeding,andseekto influencethebehaviourofthetargetaudience.Thestyleof theadvertisementsmaybe designedtoarousetheemotionsof viewersby showingthetragic consequencesofcarcrashes,orcausethemtore-thinktheirbeliefsbased onthepresentationof significantinformation-forexampleevidencecontraryto thewidelyheldviewthatminorspeedingisharmless.Givenits widereach,televisionwasselectedasthemainmediumfortheWipeOff5campaign,supportedbyradioandbillboards.

Sponsorship

Sponsorshipof well-knownandrecognisedorganisationsenablestheTACtoincreasetheimpactandcommunityacceptanceofitscampaigns. TheCollingwoodFootballClub(ofwhichtheTACisasponsor)isassistingtheTACtopromotetheWipeOff5message. Keyidentitiesandsportingrolemodelswithintheclub havehelpedto promote thecampaign.

CampaignLaunchandPromotionalActivity

Theformallaunchofacampaigncanhavesignificantpromotionalbenefits. Launchesareoftencoveredas newsitemsor importantcurrenteventsinallthemajormedia,providingadditionalexposureforthecampaign.

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

ThetwophasesoftheWipeOff5campaignwereinitiatedbyseparatehighprofilelaunchesin Augustand

November2001.

TheAugustlaunchwasconductedbyStephenGrant,ChiefExecutiveOfficeroftheTACattheAlfredHospital (thehelipadatthehospitalbeingpaintedwiththeWipeOff5logo).AsimilarlaunchwasconductedbyMinisterBobCameroninBendigo. AdditionalpromotionalactivitytohelpestablishtheWipeOff5brandincluded:

  • postersandstickersdistributedatBPservicestations
  • bannersusedbyseverallocalcouncilsinbusylocations
  • “WipeOff5 week”heldafterthelaunch,witha dailyfeaturearticleintheHeraldSun
  • majorpromotionbyCollingwoodFootballClubinconjunctionwiththe “blockbuster”matchagainstEssendon
  • amediaeventwasheldduringWipeOff5week,in theleadupto thematch,involvingboththe CollingwoodandEssendoncaptains(NathanBuckleyandJamesHird)whobothcarrythenumber5ontheirguernseys
  • duringthe Collingwood/Essendon(night)matchtherewason-fieldcampaignpromotion,includingWipeOff5fireworksathalftime
  • additional10secondradioadvertisementscallingonpeopletochecktheirspeedoswhiledrivingandtoWipeOff5wererecordedbyNathanBuckleyandJoshFraserfromCollingwood
  • arangeofWipeOff5merchandisewasproducedfordistributiontomediaoutlets

TheNovemberlaunchwasconductedbyStephenGrantwithChiefCommissionerChristineNixon(whoalsofeatured in oneoftheenforcementadvertisements);asimilarlaunchwithVictoriaPolicewasheldinBendigo.

Evaluation

Theeffectivenessofacampaignincommunicatingitsmessageis measuredby“tracking”research. This consists oftelephonesurveysusingappropriatesamplesizes. Thesurveysgaugepublicawarenessofand response totheadvertisements. Informationisgatheredonwhethertheywereseenasconvincingandislikely toinfluencetheindividual’sbehaviour. Measurementoftheimpactofthecampaignonbehaviouritselfrequirestheobservationofdriverspeedsontheroad. Thisis achievedbysurveysfromwhichstatisticallyreliableconclusions canbedrawn. Measuresthatwillberegularlymonitoredinclude:

  • driverattitudesandstatedbehavioursinrelationtospeeding
  • travelspeedprofilesatrepresentativesitesacrossvariousspeed zones
  • speed relatedenforcementstatisticsandoffencerates
  • speedrelatedcrashtrendsbyvariousspeedzonesandgeographiclocations

TheSpeedEnforcementStrategy

IncreasedEnforcementActivity

On20 November,theTACandVictoriaPoliceannouncedthesecondphaseofthecampaign-increasedspeedenforcementacrosstheState. Themainaimistodeterspeedingratherthancatchdriversout. Nevertheless,thechancesthatoffenderswillbecaughtaremuchgreaterasmoreresourceswillbeused,forexample:

  • anincreaseinspeedcameraoperations-risingby50%from4,000to 6,000hourspermonthbyFebruary2002
  • thepurchaseof 110newlaserandmobileradarspeeddetectors
  • the plannedroll-outoffixedspeedcamerasontheWestGateBridge,GeelongRoadandtheWesternRingRoad

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

  • trialofnewintersectioncamerasto photographcarsspeedingandgoingagainstredlights

Locationswherespeedcamerasareinusewillbeharderfordriverstospot-cameraswillnotflashwhenusedduring daytimeandoperatorswillemploylessconspicuouscars.

Increasedenforcementwillexposemoreoffenderstoarangeof penaltiesincludingmonetaryfinesrelatedto theseriousnessoftheoffence(recentlyincreasedby20%),lossofdemeritpointsandpotential licencesuspension.

AdvertisingSupportforEnforcement

TheseriesofnewTACadvertisementsreinforcethemessagethatenforcementwilloperateatgreaterlevelsthan before. Thefourseparateadvertisementshighlight:

  • speedcameraswillbe operatingat morelocationsmoreof thetime
  • locationswherespeedcamerasoperatewillbealmostimpossibletopickandwillchangeregularly
  • the penaltiesforspeedoffenceshavebeenincreased
  • thesignificanceof thekeymessageby useof thetagline-“Wipe Off5 OrWipeOutLives”-whichlinksthe enforcementcampaignbacktothe safetyissue

EvaluationResultstoDate

TheTACusesindependentresearchagenciestoconducttrackingsurveysthatgaugeaudiencereactionsandselfreportedchangesinbehaviour. A telephonesurveyconductedinDecember2001measuredresponsesto the seriesoffourspeedenforcementadvertisementslaunchedin November. Someofthefindingsincluded:

  • therewerefewerdriverswho admittedto speeding“all of thetime”and“halfof thetime”comparedwiththeresultsofasurveyundertakenin March(reductionsof11%and9%)suggestingadeclineinhard corespeeding
  • therewasa positiveresponsetotheincreaseinpoliceenforcementactivitywithagreaternumberof driversbelievingtherewasnowmorechanceofbeingcaughtforspeeding;therewasadeclineinthenumberwhobelievedthatspeedcameraswereonlyusedasarevenueraisingtool
  • themajorityof thoseinterviewedacknowledgedthatthespeedenforcementadvertisementswere“talkingto them”withthemostpositiveresponsesamongstyoungergroups

Theseresultsindicatesomepositiveandpromisinginitialoutcomes. Trendsin actualspeedsarebeingmeasuredandwillprovidefurtherobjectivedataenablingtheimpactof theadvertisingandenforcementcampaigntobefurtherassessed.

FutureDevelopmentoftheCampaign

TheTACrecognisesthatchangingthecommunity’sbeliefsandbehaviourinrelationtospeedingisalongtermtask. Evaluationoftheeffectivenessofthecurrentcampaignwillprovidefeedbackforthedevelopmentof futureprograms.Oneoftheimportantinfluenceswillbe theapplicationof soundbehaviourchangeprinciplesin ordertoconvincedriversthatspeedingisananti-socialactivityandneedstobeseenas seriouslyasdrinkdriving. Thiswillrequiretacklingbeliefsandperceptionsaroundissuessuchas:

  • therisksassociatedwithvariouslevelsofspeeding
  • the chancesofbeingcaught
  • attitudestowhatis “normal”andsociallyacceptablebehaviourontheroads

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

AttachmentA

SUMMARYOFSPEEDANDCRASHRESEARCH

Anumberofstudieshaveshownthatlowerspeedsresultinfewercrashesandreducedseverityofinjuries. In general, thefastertheaveragetrafficspeed,themorecrashesthatwilloccur.

Kloeden,C.N.,McLean,A.J,.Moore,V.M.andPonte,G.(1997). TravellingSpeedandtheRiskofCrash

Involvement(CR172). Canberra:FederalOfficeofRoadSafety. Themainfindingswere:

  • theriskof involvementina casualtycrashapproximatelydoubleswitheach5 km/hincreaseintravelspeedabove60km/h
  • ifnoneof thecrashedvehiclesinthestudyhad beentravellingabove60 km/hnearly50%ofthecasualtycrasheswouldhavebeenavoidedorreducedtonon-casualtycrashes
  • speedinginan urbanareaisas dangerousas drivingwithan illegalbloodalcoholconcentration;eventravellingat65km/hincreasestheriskofcrashinvolvementasmuchasdrivingwithaBACof.05
  • mostofthecrashesin thestudyoccurredonmainroadswitharelativelysmallproportiononlocal streets;thisprovidedsupportforalowerspeedlimitthroughouturbanareasparticularlyonarterialroads

Severalfactorswereconsideredtobeinvolvedintheincreaseincrashriskwithincreasingspeed:

  • thegreaterdistancethatistravelledat higherspeedsduringtherecognitionandreactiontimeofthedriver andthebrakingofthevehicle
  • thegreaterlikelihoodoflosingcontrolathigherspeeds
  • misjudgementbydriversaboutthespeedofanothervehicle

McLean,A.J.,Anderson,R.W.G.,FarmerM.J.B.,Lee,B.H.andBrooks,C.G.(1994). VehicleTravelSpeeds andtheIncidenceofFatalPedestrianCollisions(CR146). Canberra:FederalOfficeofRoadSafety. The mainfindingswere:

  • areductionof5km/hin travelspeedscouldbeexpectedto resultinareductionof30%infatalpedestrian crashes
  • inareaswherethe speedlimitisnow60km/h,about32%offatalpedestriancrasheswouldbeprevented
  • smalldifferencesintravellingspeedcanresultinlargedifferencesinimpactspeed
  • smallincreasesintravellingspeedcanresultinlargeincreasesinimpactspeedandtheriskoffatal injury

Leaf,W.A.andPreusserD.F.(1999).LiteratureReviewonVehicleTravelSpeedsandPedestrianInjuries.USDepartmentofTransportation,NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration,DOTHS809021. Themainconclusionswere:

  • reductionsinvehiclespeedcanhaveaverysignificantinfluenceonpedestriancrashesandinjuries
  • it is estimatedthatonly5%ofpedestrianswoulddiewhenstruckbyavehicletravellingat32km/hor less;thiscompareswithfatalityratesof40%,80%andnearly 100%forstrikingspeedsof 48km/h.,64km/hand 80km/h
  • manypedestriancrasheswouldbepreventedentirelyif vehiclestravelledmoreslowlyasdrivers andpedestrians wouldhavemoretimetoperceivetheriskandtakeevasiveaction

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

Kloeden,C.N.,Ponte,G.andMcLean,A.J(2001). TravellingSpeedandtheRiskofCrashInvolvementonRural

Roads(CR204). Canberra:AustralianTransportSafetyBureau. Themainfindingswere:

  • theriskofinvolvementinacasualtycrashismorethantwiceasgreatwhentravelling10km/h abovethe averagespeedofnon-crashinvolvedvehicles
  • theriskisnearlysixtimesas greatwhentravelling20 km/habovetheaveragespeed
  • evena5km/hreductionin thespeedofvehicleswouldhaveledtoa31%reductionincrashes

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WIPEOFF5–A CASESTUDY

AttachmentB

SUMMARYOFFINDINGS-ATTITUDESANDBEHAVIOURINRELATIONTOSPEEDINGCONDUCTEDBYSWEENEYRESEARCH

Thesamplecomprised594peopleaged18-49whoadmittedtoexceedingthespeedlimitatleastsomeof thetime evenbya smallmargin,interviewedbytelephonebetween23and26June2001. Responsestothreekeyquestions(outofatotalofeleven)aresetoutbelow.

ExceedingtheSpeedLimit

Question:“Whendriving,howoftenwouldyouexceedthespeedlimit,evenifonlybyafew kilometresperhour.”

AlltheTime
% / MostoftheTime
% / AboutHalftheTime
% / SomeoftheTime
%
8 / 20 / 16 / 56

DefinitionofSpeeding

Question: “Regardlessofwhatthelawstates,ina60km/hzoneanda100km/hzonehowmanykilometresper houroverthelimitdoyouthinkconstitutesspeeding.”

60km/hZone
% / 100km/hZone
%
AnythingOvertheLimit / 16 / 16
1-5km/hOvertheLimit / 35 / 20
6-10 km/hOvertheLimit / 37 / 34
11-15km/hOvertheLimit / 9 / 20
16-20km/hOvertheLimit / 2 / 5
21-25km/hOvertheLimit / - / 3
26-30km/hOvertheLimit / - / 1

NormalDrivingSpeed

Question: Respondentswereexposedtofivedifferentspeedzonesrangingfrom50km/hto110km/handaskedatwhatspeedtheynormallydriveineach.

ExceedtheLimit
% / ExceedtheLimitbyMorethan
5km/h
%
In50km/hZone / 49 / 25
In60km/hZone / 42 / 18
In80km/hZone / 33 / 17
In100km/hZone / 55 / 31
In110km/hZone / 37 / 22

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