Project SOS to Promote Safe-Driving in New Zealand

Project SOS aims to advertise safe-driving in New Zealand to reduce the growing number of fatal road accidents among China, India, Germany and Australia self-driving tourists. After analysing the case study on “Every 15 Minutes” advertising campaign to reduce drunk driving accidents in America, we learnt that taglines and multisensory advertising approach are effective in promoting self-driving safety. Hence, our project wishes to complement existing road safety campaigns in NZ through our strategies, “Stay Safe” Smartphone application and “Rest to be Safe” Rest Stops.

These aim to promote safe driving for CIGATs by targeting the root causes of road crashes - driver fatigue and unfamiliarity with road conditions respectively. “Every 15 Minutes” campaign is a government effort to advertise to reduce the fatality of drunk driving among high school students aged 14-18 years old. 1 in 5 drivers aged 16 to 20 who exceeded the legal alcohol limit of blood alcohol content above 0. 08%, is involved in fatal drunk-driving accidents. Excessive alcohol reduces the alertness of drivers and hence causes car crashes.

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Due to the lack of driving experience to counter new situations, teen drivers are 17 times more likely to die in car crashes when they exceed the BAC of 0. 08%. Thus, “Every 15 minutes” targets high school students through a two-day outdoor learning programme, utilizing simulations and posters. This influences them to consider the deadliness of drunk-driving through visuals and experiential learning. Many youths believe excessive alcohol influence is harmless and that they are able to drive safely after drinking. The Alcohol Impairment Goggles, designed to stimulate excessive alcohol’s effects on vision, allows sober youths to experience the repercussions of drunk driving, such as losing control of basic motor coordination.

Therefore, students understand that they cannot drive safely under excessive alcohol influence after experiencing physical limitations of being drunk.

Moreover, a simulated drunk-driving crash is conducted in school, involving actual firefighters and paramedics as rescuers, and props such as cars and bloody makeup on actors were used to make the simulation look realistic. The gory simulations induced shock in students, allowing them to understand that drunk-driving can lead to loss of lives. Students will remember the deadly consequences of drunk-driving as hands-on activities help in the retention of up to 75% information as compared to learning through lecture where retention rate is only 5%. Thus, this effectively deters drunk-driving behaviours among students. From the simulations, we learnt that the use of multi-sensory advertising approach appeals to our target audiences’ sense of sight, hearing and touch, providing a more realistic first-hand experience of a drunk-driving scenario. Usage of real-world simulations enables an immediate application of their knowledge on the dangers of drunk-driving in their lives. Posters utilize gruesome images, portraying the tragedy of alcohol-induced fatal car crashes. This prompts teenagers to not drunk-drive to avoid an undesirable death as humans are less accepting of dying with pain and suffering. Since approximately 1/5 of Americans are afraid of dying, powerful taglines such as “Every 15 minutes” captivate teenagers’ attention by conveying a sense of urgency that a life is taken away every 15 minutes. Furthermore, their actions are not limited to themselves as implications of the car crash extends to the emotional trauma faced by the drivers’ family. This translates into the fear of them becoming the next victim which may cause grief to their family. Hence, we learnt that posters and taglines associating with death strongly resonates with one’s inner fear of dying, deterring them to drunk-drive.