THE Green Cross Code Man - who featured in child road safety campaigns in the 1970s - has returned to tackle roadside recklessness after a 40 year hiatus.
And this time the character, played once again by Star Wars actor Dave Prowse, is appearing in safety videos aimed at adults.
- Reporter Andrew White spoke to the Green Cross Code Man, Dave Prowse, in 2011. Read his feature here
Now 79, Prowse is seen admonishing adults for a lack of awareness of road safety due to concentrating on modern technology rather than keeping an eye out for traffic.
Launched on YouTube by insurance company More Than, one video shows a man having a near miss with a car while attempting to cross the road while listening to loud music on his headphones.
Another video reveals how a man pushing a pram with a baby in it while checking his mobile phone narrowly avoids an accident.
Dressed as Green Cross Code Man, Prowse appears to both men warning them to be more careful and tells them to apply the green cross code - stop, look and listen.
More Than launched the videos to coincide with Road Safety Week and after conducting a survey of 3,000 adults aged 25-50.
The poll showed 30% of pedestrians will regularly cross the road while using the internet and social media on their phones, 40% while texting, 60% while on a call and 40% while listening to music.
As many as 11% of pedestrians have been hit by a car or cyclist because they carelessly stepped into the road while they were talking, texting, gaming or tweeting on their smartphones, or listening to loud music through headphones.
Also, 32% have narrowly avoided a collision after they crossed the road. But 24% said they were continuing to use their smartphones and headphones while they cross the road.
Prowse's bodybuilding and weightlifting background led to his being cast in the role of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, with the character's voice being supplied by American actor James Earl Jones.
Prowse said today: "Stop, look and listen: they've been the three basic pillars of road safety for decades, but they're being ignored en masse every single day.
"When the original Green Cross Code Man public information films ran, road accident rates reduced significantly. But that was in the days before pedestrians wandered around glued to their smartphones or wearing giant headphones, now it appears adults are completely out of practice with road safety. "
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