Timely Think! campaigns target specific risks

The Think! team has unveiled details of two radio campaigns to address specific road safety risks in the coming weeks.

The first is a campaign to remind rugby fans of the drink-drive risk posed by the early opening of pubs during the Rugby Union World Cup.

"With pubs opening early in the morning people may be tempted to have a drink or two and then drive home or on to work," says the DfT’s Glyn Robinson. "People should be aware that the police can - and do - breathalyse people throughout the day, even in the morning."

The campaign will utilise an adaptation of a commercial used during last year’s football World Cup, which features a milkman who has been stopped by the police early in the morning.

The ad will be on air the day before and morning of the quarter-finals (8/9 November), semi-finals (15/16 November) and the final itself (22 November).

The second campaign addresses the issue of motorists travelling long distances with their families during the October half term school holidays (see pic above). Up to 20 per cent of collisions on motorways are caused by drivers nodding off at the wheel.

"During the October break families will drive long distances to get to their holiday destinations without planning proper breaks into their journey," Glyn Robinson says. "They will want to get to their destination as soon as possible and the driver may not start off refreshed."

The campaign will deploy two commercials, Microsleep – Driving and Microsleep – Meeting, to reach people before they travel and while they are travelling. The ads alert listeners to the dangers of falling asleep at the wheel - and the necessity of planning to have a rest stop every two hours.

"The commercials aim to get people to imagine how far they would travel at 70mph if they nodded off for 6 seconds (about an 8th of a mile) and to realise how dangerous this could be," Glyn Robinson says. The ads will be on air 24 October - 2 November.

Publicity materials for the campaign can be found at: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/catalogue/index.htm under 'fatigue materials'.

Alternatively, to hear the commercials go to: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/fatigue/index.htm