Restraint Use 2005-06

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Campaign Background:
Seatbelts are a primary safety feature of a vehicle and if worn correctly will substantially reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash.

Seatbelts can prevent death, reduce injury severity and eliminate some minor injuries altogether. International research shows that a driver not wearing a seatbelt is 15 times more likely to be killed in a crash.

By law the driver must also ensure that each passenger in the vehicle is restrained.

A child less than one year old must be restrained in an approved child restraint and a passenger at least one year old and younger than 16 years old must be restrained via an approved child restraint or seatbelt.

Since South Australia introduced compulsory seat belt wearing in 1970, thousands of lives have been saved and serious injuries avoided. A seatbelt provides protection by:

• reducing the forward movement of the body in a frontal crash so that contact with the hard interior of the car is avoided or reduced.
• stopping the wearer from being thrown out of the vehicle and onto the road or against damaging objects.
• spreading the force from the impact over a greater area of the body.

While the vast majority of car occupants are properly restrained, serious and minor injury statistics highlight the significant risk of injury or death in a crash where a seatbelt or other restraint is not applied.

Between 2000-2004, a total of 486 vehicle occupants killed or seriously injured were not wearing a restraint (that's around- 92 occupants per year). In 2004, in South Australia a staggering 32 per cent of driver and passengers killed and 10 per cent of drivers and passengers seriously injured were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Statistics for the years 2000-2004 show that seatbelt usage is a significant issue:

• on weekends (39 per cent of vehicle occupants killed or seriously injured were not wearing a seatbelt occurred on weekends)
• in rural areas (2/3 of serious casualties from lack of seatbelt/restraint occur in rural areas)
• for males (males made up 83 per cent of motor vehicle occupants killed or injured)
• for parents and carers (41 per cent of child passenger fatalities (age 0 -15) between 2000 and 2004 were not wearing a restraint at the time of the crash

Research commissioned by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure focussed on attitudes and behaviour in relation to seatbelt use. Participants admitted to sometimes not wearing a seatbelt with the reason almost always being that it was only a short trip .

A number of participants failed to appreciate their decision to not wear a seatbelt could cause significant injury to other occupants in the vehicle with most participants believing they are good drivers and that their skill would protect them from any problems on the road.

Advertising Objectives:
The objectives of this campaign are to encourage drivers and passengers to always wear a seatbelt whilst driving, with a particular focus on increasing driver and vehicle occupant awareness of the consequences of non-compliance in relation to restraint use.

This campaign specifically targets restraint use for drivers and passengers including parents, carers and young people (16-24 years) in both metropolitan and rural areas with added elements (banners) for rural areas.

Target Audience:
Primary audiences for communication activities associated with this project include:

• Young drivers, particularly males aged 16-24 years,
• Young passengers aged 16-20 years,
• Parents/carers of children aged 0-16 years,
• Car occupants in rural areas.

Secondary audiences for the project include:

• All South Australian road users.

Timing:
The campaign schedule aligns with specific events and integrates with South Australia Police enforcement operations.

Television
October 2005 and May 2006

Radio
October 2005 and February 2006

Mobile Road Signage
A-frames and regional banners deployed January and February 2006

Media Strategies:
The outreach tools for this campaign explain that not wearing a seatbelt, even on short trips, is dangerous and can result in long term rehabilitation, pain and suffering.

Short Trip Television Commercial

The Short Trip television commercial begins with a young female driver inside a moving car and a close up of a seatbelt hanging unused. The commercial depicts that the driver is on a short trip to or from her local video store. The voice over explains that short trips can catch people out.

The driver is then shown to not be wearing her seatbelt. The voice over explains that you can tell if occupants are not wearing a seatbelt. A crash occurs and braking and skidding is heard as the young female driver's head goes through the front windscreen. The commercial then cuts to black.

The next image is of the same girl, months later, with deep facial scars confined to a wheelchair. The key slogan and end tag of the commercial is No Trip's Too Short For A Seatbelt. Stop. Think.

Restraint Use Campaign 2005 - 2006 (913 kb)

PG = Parental Guidance
May be broadcast during the following hours, except during P and C programs or adjacent to P or C periods:

 

Short Trip Radio Commercial

Two radio commercials support the television commercial and explain that not wearing a seatbelt, even on short trips, can be dangerous and result in long term rehabilitation, pain and suffering.

The first commercial depicts a young female as being a quadriplegic with permanent scarring to her face from not wearing a seatbelt.

The second explains that not wearing a seatbelt can harm oneself as well as other occupants within the vehicle. The voice over concludes with No Trip's Too Short For A Seatbelt .

• Restraint Use Campaign Ad 1 - (777 kb)
• Restraint Use Campaign Ad 2 - (730 kb)

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