Australian Road Safety Campaign Video

[flyingreg]

I believe this is a 20 year anniversary of safety ads from our Aussie friends. It was quite moving, but graphic.

 

Sad that our government doesn't have the courage to produce something like this and air it on primetime television. Maybe more people would think before they got behind the wheel.

 

Please, do not click on the link if you can't take graphic reality of drinking and driving. I don't wish to upset anyone here, you've been warned.

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Wow, that's pretty long for a PSA. Maybe it's Australia, or maybe it's just 20 years ago, but it seems like we (now, here in the US) have too short of an attention span to watch the whole thing. I had to make myself watch for a couple of minutes, thinking "this doesn't seem all that graphic." And then, uh, yeah, it got pretty graphic. They really don't pull any punches, but it's not Hollywood-style gore and explosions; you can see it's professionally rendered, but it looks and feels like bystander video of real crashes.

 

Drunk driving PSA's in the US seem to focus more on the risk/consequences of getting caught rather than the risk/consequences of crashing. Maybe we need to do more of the latter - just not something five minutes long...

[Whip]

If they drove on the right side of the road they would not have all those problems.

 

 

 

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

I thought that was an excellent video, if a bit long. Made too many of those notifications at zero dark thirty.

It would never fly in the US because we are too interested in "real" reality TV.

[elkroeger]

Wow, what a great video. Thanks for the link. I suppose the only thing it lacks is some of the jail time and financial consequences of drunk driving. But then those are minor compared to the death and destruction...

 

It would never fly here in the US because we have to dumb everything down at the risk of offending someone. Case in point, the disclaimer of the OP. Jeez, don't apologise. We need to offend the hell out of people to get them to wake up. Personally, I'm offended by the drunks out there, rather than PSAs that portray somewhat realistic consequences....

 

Please, do not click on the link if you can't take graphic reality of drinking and driving. I don't wish to upset anyone here, you've been warned.

[Smoky]

I saw that over on ADVrider.

 

It's very graphic, and really shook me up.

[Roadwolf]

Greg.... wow, thanks for sharing... wish that this was broadcast unedited regularly on our networks... I will definitely pass this along.

 

 

[yabadabapal]

Thanks for sharing the important message. I have absolutely no tolerance for drunk driving. Zero, no excuses or reasons are good enough.

[KMG_365]

They don't even have to be drunk.

[plext]

While that particular compilation is rather long, it must be remembered that it is indeed a compilation. Not all are drink driving related. At least one, with the Kombi van that hits the truck, is related to fatigue. A lot of years worth of advertising is condensed into that clip and I suspect that it has been crafted together as a you tube special by the TAC.

 

Not living in Victoria, I cannot confirm that it has not been shown full length on television but would be fairly surprised if it had. Our registering bodies do charge us incredibly large sums to stay on the road and the revenue collection in Victoria especially via speed cameras is efficient to an Orwellian degree, but they do not generally handle this cash bonanza so carefully that they can regularly buy five minutes of air time.

 

Typically, these advertisements run for 15 or 30 seconds, with a longer 60 second (directors cut?) edit being shown at the very start of such a campaign for a day or two.

 

This type of advertising can be at least partially credited with a very radical change in attitudes to drink driving in this country over the period, the biggest of which being that it is generally not socially acceptable to drink drive. While never outright encouraged by many, the practise was generally looked upon in a benign wink and nod manner by too many people. This has decidedly changed.

 

My concern now lies in the new shift of the powers that be to convince the populace at large that exceeding our too low highway speed limits by even a tiny amount will see the vehicle explode immediately and rain shrapnel o'er the countryside killing all children, kittens and puppies within a 10km radius. This is starting to have a situation whereby if you dare to overtake, you are often treated to high beams in your mirrors and in some cases though thankfully rarer, active blocking of the attempt.

 

We have now a situation where people will actually call the police with your plates if they deem you in their expert opinion to be speeding, this really happened to a colleague about a month ago on the Federal Highway between Canberra and Goulburn. He was not able to be ticketed because as an alert driver he noted the unmarked vehicle looming and slowed. He was however pulled over after being shadowed for an extended distance and told by the Highway Patrol officer that he had been reported. He swears to me that his speed never exceeded 130km/h on the 110km/h limited stretch and I'm inclined to believe him as he will readily recount instances of going faster. Do we really think that it is appropriate for self appointed road vigilantes to be informing for an infraction which even under our draconian punishment scale deserves no more than a fine and 3 points? The Stasi would have been proud and I really fear for the free thinking this country once displayed.

 

In Victoria it's even worse, the previously mentioned Orwellian speed cameras are set to be triggered when somebody is 3km/h over the speed limit. That's right, you can be fined and receive demerit points for exceeding the limit by less than 3% on some roads. On a vehicle with tyres that have deep tread blocks such as a four wheel drive, the speedometer can be out by more than this simply through the change in circumference from old to new tyres, yet people can and do lose their licences and livelihoods to these infernal devices.

 

The final issue this raises is perhaps the worst, knowing that enforcement is oppressive and punishment draconian upon our open roads, we now have a situation where people are scared to overtake in the fear that they attract the attention of the ever present cameras/radar/laser. Thus, when Nan and Pop decide to put on their special driving hats and head down the coast at 80km/h on the 100km/h road, a large freight train of frustrated drivers rapidly develops behind them, a large percentage of whom will refuse to overtake except in one of our too few overtaking lanes on rural highways. Some of course are unwilling to do this and the upshot is inevitable, lines of cars being passed by very fast moving vehicles that have come from the rear of the freight train. I cannot be convinced that this is safer than traffic flowing at various speeds and not bunching, even if some are a hare brained 20km/h over the posted limit. Roads that run this way, which are becoming more and more common, are actually safer on a motorcycle as you keep moving forward and out of the bunches with much more ease.

 

Well there you go, an essay instead of the short reply I had intended. I suppose my point is that while these types of campaigns could only be repudiated out of hand by the foolish, bear in mind that the authorities will never stop in their goal of imposing nanny state thinking on the populace at large. Once one valid target is met, sure as night follows day they will move onto something else which makes no sense whatever but can be deemed to be 'good' by the expedient of proclaiming that it will save the children.

 

[BabyCow]

 

One I have never forgotten - "We call this a degloving injury" - and always think of when I am contemplating what protective gear to wear when riding for a very very short distance

[moshe_levy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z2mf8DtWWd8

 

For the life of me, I can't understand why we don't have similar PSAs here. Ads like this are 10,000x more effective than the usual rattling of statistics we see here. Kudos to the Aussies!

 

-MKL

[Tank]

I agree, also mandatory viewing for school kids, a few years before driving age.

[RichEdwards]

I taught high school students for 30 years. Most believe that 'it' could not happen to them. Anything that gets across the idea that death and injury can come at any age is a good idea. This video would work to achieve that for many adolescents.

[Norm 88]

Wow thats an attention getter!! Sent it to my Grandson who is 20...

[Uggles]

Gents,

Under discussion here

Cheers,

[Mike]

Gents,

Under discussion here

Cheers,

 

I merged the two threads.

[Mike]

So, here's my question: These vignettes certainly evoke a visceral reaction, but do they actually make a difference?

 

Long ago--back when I was learning to drive--this type of video (albeit without the benefit of CGI) was always part of the driver's ed curriculum. However, it was claimed that they didn't really alter behavior, so they fell out of favor. I know that many apparently think that these things make a difference, but is there any proof of that?

[pbbeck]

I teach 7th grade Health. I'm just finishing up a unit on drugs and alcohol. You better believe there'll be a group of future California drivers who will be viewing this TAC PSA this week.

 

BTW... they've already seen the texting while driving PSA out of the UK.

[flyingreg]

So, here's my question: These vignettes certainly evoke a visceral reaction, but do they actually make a difference?

In our country over the last decade "accident" rates have steadily increased. All the while, there is almost no safety education given. Motorcycle related crashes have skyrocketed during the past several years. The requirements to obtain a drivers license and m/c endorsement are very low here in the USA, regardless of state of residence. We dearly enjoy our freedoms here, however we shun the responsibilities associated with those same freedoms. While in the UK and Australia, there has been a steady decline in both auto and m/c crashes. As these countries both pursue safety education and also have more stringent training requirements for drivers and riders, I would have to say it must be working. I don't think it is anecdotal.

[Mike]

Are you sure about that, Greg? It looks like the accident rate levelled off in 2005, but apart from that, the rate's been dropping pretty steadily since 1920.

 

The raw statistics aside, I just wonder if these PSAs really make a difference. Here's what I recall from the "blood and gore" movie discussions that took place in the U.S. years ago: they shocked the young viewers, but were never shown to have a real effect on the accident rate. It seems to me that this may be a legitimate question to ask again since teens are exposed to a huge number of violent images by the time they're eligible to drive.

 

I applaud the effort, but I continue to wonder if there's a demonstrable effect in reducing the mayhem.

 

What have been shown to work are things like graduated driving privileges, restrictions on driving hours, more supervised driving, and similar efforts.

[MotorinLA]

Are you sure about that, Greg? It looks like the accident rate levelled off in 2005, but apart from that, the rate's been dropping pretty steadily since 1920.

 

The raw statistics aside, I just wonder if these PSAs really make a difference. Here's what I recall from the "blood and gore" movie discussions that took place in the U.S. years ago: they shocked the young viewers, but were never shown to have a real effect on the accident rate. It seems to me that this may be a legitimate question to ask again since teens are exposed to a huge number of violent images by the time they're eligible to drive.

 

I applaud the effort, but I continue to wonder if there's a demonstrable effect in reducing the mayhem.

 

What have been shown to work are things like graduated driving privileges, restrictions on driving hours, more supervised driving, and similar efforts.

 

I remember watching "Red Asphalt" in high school and can't say it did much to slow me down during the first few years of my driving career. I think involvement in motor sports could be helpful for some young drivers. Allow young drivers to explore the limits of their vehicles and their own driving skills in a controlled environment. It certainly will not prevent all young drivers from making poor driving choices, but it might help some of them. There is something to be said for being in a car moving at speed and having no control of where it is going. Not a pleasant feeling.

 

Unfortunately I see a lot of parents who fail to make their kids obey the new driving restrictions imposed in CA. The parents see the restricitions as a inconvenience to themselves and therefore often look the other way when their kids fail to obey them. Ah, but I digress into another debate about lack of personal responsibility...

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I think involvement in motor sports could be helpful for some young drivers. Allow young drivers to explore the limits of their vehicles and their own driving skills in a controlled environment. It certainly will not prevent all young drivers from making poor driving choices, but it might help some of them. There is something to be said for being in a car moving at speed and having no control of where it is going. Not a pleasant feeling.

 

I think this might be helpful. New drivers are told to stay away from the performance limits of the vehicle, but they are never given an opportunity to learn where those performance limits are. When it snows, they typically find out unintentionally when the wheels slip, but they are hardly ever encouraged to see how hard they can turn or brake when on dry pavement in good weather. It can be an eye-opener to nail the brakes at highway speed and realize just how far you travel before stopping. These are the kinds of things that can convince more kids that they shouldn't tailgate, and should pay more attention to what's going on around them, and know how fast they can and can't turn.

 

There is a driving school in Colorado, Master Drive, that puts new drivers through exactly these kinds of things.