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Campaign background
Vehicle occupants wearing a restraint are
more likely to survive and/or avoid serious injury in a severe crash.
Whilst restraint use wearing rates are very high, unrestrained occupants
are over represented in crash statistics. In South Australia during
2002, approximately one third of all drivers and passengers killed were
not wearing a seat belt.
From observational surveys restraint usage rates in South
Australia are currently 95 per cent or higher, consistent with the national
average. However, continuing to increase compliance with restraint usage
will continue to save many lives per year. |
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Advertising objectives
The key objectives of the Department of Transport’s planned communications
activities will be to:
- Inform road users about the strong relationship between the extent of
injury and restraint usage
- Present the potential consequences of not wearing a restraint
- Emphasise the risk of being detected not wearing a restraint
Objectives and Target audience
The target audience for this campaign is:
Primary
Parents of children and children living in regional SA
Parents of children and children in metropolitan Adelaide
Secondary
Males aged 14 years and over
Timing
Television commercials for this campaign commenced September 2003.
Media strategies
The restraint campaign comprises of television and radio commercials.
The radio advertisements focus on warning parents about the possible consequences
of their child being involved in a crash unrestrained. The commercial also
outlines the penalties for being detected with a child passenger that is not
wearing restraints, which include:
- $170 fine
- Loss of 3 demerit points
The message from this campaign is that not restraining your child could either
cost you money or demerit points, but more seriously, a ‘crash could
cost your child’s life’.
Demonstration
The television commercial opens with a split screen shot of two watermelons,
one restrained with a seat belt and the other on the seat unrestrained. The
car soon starts to move and the following shots demonstrate what happens upon
impact. The unrestrained watermelon hits the screen and breaks apart, while
the restrained watermelon remains on the seat unharmed.
The watermelons are replaced with children in the next shot and the scenario
plays out again, except this time we are left with a freeze frame at the point
the unrestrained child lifts from the seat upon impact. The effect of impact
is left to the imagination, but is certainly influenced by the demonstration
of the crushed watermelon. This commercial intends to send a clear message
to parents about the possible consequence of not restraining child passengers.
Campaign – watch or listen
Television
Watermelon Campaign (TV) (769 kb) 
Radio
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