VIDEO: New Zealand’s awkward road safety campaign will make sure you are not distracted while driving

Passengers, do you feel uncomfortable every time the driver is distracted by their mobile phones while behind the wheel? How about some unexpected physical contact to solve the dangerous behaviour?

That’s the idea behind the New Zealand Transport Authority’s new road safety campaign. See, it doesn’t take much for an accident to take place while driving. Simply by diverting your attention away from the road to glance at the phone’s screen is enough for an unwanted incident to occur.

The campaign, titled ‘Hello’, uses Lionel Ritchie’s hit song in a manner that results in the drivers’ eyes being wide open and blank faces each time they even consider reaching for the phone. Calling it creepy, awkward or perfect, is very much dependent on the viewer. We won’t spoil the content here, but it is quite a humorous ad to watch.

According to NZTA Senior education adviser Adrian Stephenson, research suggests that driver distraction is likely to be a factor in 20-30% of crashes. Instead of the standard shock tactics, the campaign that uses the tagline “Put me first. Drive phone free” is looking to visualise the discomfort felt by passengers.

So Malaysians, the next time your driver appears to be reaching for the phone, this could be the solution you’re looking for. Just don’t freak him or her out too much.

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • Muniandy Periasamy on Apr 01, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    In Malaysia, no amount of campaigns and videos can help with the JPJ and PDRM all makan suap and demanding duit kopi. People not scared to break the law cause they know everything can settle.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 8
  • leonardo on Apr 01, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Lol! love this ad! Gets the message across too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • ben yap on Apr 01, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    if i were to hold a cute girls hand, the car will crash immediately due to over excitement.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

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