Grab drops road safety ad after negative reaction

Grab, a taxi hailing platform, which recently kicked off its "Choose safety" campaign in Indonesia with the release of a video online, has found itself in hot water with netizens for the gory spot. It has since removed the initial video ad.The video started with a young woman walking towards the street with her face progressively getting bloodier, until she starts to almost resemble a zombie. She only turns back to normal after hailing a grab-taxi. Many labelled the add as gruisome and bloody and said they would uninstall the app.The ad has gotten many riled up.Grab Indonesia's new ad is disgusting and it's false advertising. You can't guarantee safety from motorbike accidents no matter your record.— Aulia Masna (@amasna) September 20, 2016 This ad is utterly disgusting, @GrabID. You’re suggesting people would get hurt if they choose ojek instead of you https://t.co/uXHrIz7XTZThe ad was initially launched following a survey with over 1,000 motorcycle taxi passengers where many said ojek rides were a safety concern. Thus, Grab considers improving road safety standards in Indonesia to be an urgent issueRidzki Kramadibrata, managing director, Grab Indonesia said that most traffic accidents are both predictable and preventable. In lieu of the above, Grab’s new safety programme, which involves telematics will help reduce such incidents.“With the help of a better understanding of the speed and traffic patterns on different roads throughout the day, we will help our drivers, who spend 8-10 hours on the roads, by sending reminders to stop speeding, and thereby reducing such accidents,” said Kramadibrata.