THINK! country roads campaign (autumn 2015)

A new THINK! ‘country roads’ campaign was launched on 22 Oct 2015 on the back of new figures which reveal that rural roads are the deadliest.

The new DfT data shows that on average three people died on country roads every day in 2014. In total, 1,040 people were killed and 9,051 seriously injured on country roads in 2014, with a third (348) of fatalities occurring on a bend.

In spite of this, in a survey of 2,000 drivers conducted in October 2015, almost a quarter of respondents admitted to braking too late on bends and two fifths (41%) claimed to have swerved to avoid something in the road.

The problem on country roads is most acute among young drivers, with a third confessing to braking too late before a bend and more than one in 10 admitting to ‘taking the racing line’ by crossing into the opposite side of the road. Young drivers are also the most likely to overtake on a bend without a clear road ahead.

In response, THINK! partnered with a farmer to turn potential road hazards into impossible-to-ignore warning signs. ‘Helpful Hazards’ features animals and vehicles sprayed with signs prompting drivers to slow down, anticipate hazards and brake before the bend, not on it.

The campaign also includes a re-run of the ‘If you could see’ video and radio ads which were first launched in October 2014. The video uses 3D scanning technology to allow the viewer to see through objects and spot the danger ahead that the driver can’t see. The ad has been updated based on feedback from last year’s campaign to better demonstrate the ‘x-ray’ effect.