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‘It’s only a little bit over’: NZTA shows the dangers of speed

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Clemenger BBDO target speeding with a chilling new campaign, ‘In my Shoes’.

Featuring a 60-second TVC, the campaign captures the morbid scenes of a speed-related car crash. It calls on drivers to understand the effects of speeding, in an attempt to change the public perception of having a ‘right to speed’.

The ad opens with a middle-aged, male driver who defends exceeding the speed limit, stating “it’s only a little bit over mate”.

The shot moves to a police officer who disclaims the casualness of speeding and discourse regarding speed-related accidents. The narrative is an account of honest realism as the officer is subjected to visiting crash sites and tracking down the victim’s family.

Furthermore, the scene provides a series of eerie shots, from a woman lying on her bed, to shots which linger over the remnants of the accident.

The narrative circulates, and concludes with a driver who provides an excuse for speeding, arguing: “This speed is fine, I know these roads.”

Rachel Prince of the NZTA says speeding tickets are a real source of frustration for many, and sadly this frustration fuels a lot of the conversation around speed.

“There’s a real perception that it’s about revenue collection. But if you speak to any cop, anywhere in the country, they’ll give you a very different answer.”

Executive creative director of Clemenger BBDO Brigid Alkema adds that when you hear the confronting stories of the harm any Kiwi cop has had to see, you can understand why they’ll do anything they can to reduce it.

“We used these heart-wrenching stories to bring a very human angle to their job.”

The emotive launch follows the Christmas/holiday period, which accounted for 12 deaths, eight of which were on the open road, according to NZTA.

Road related deaths have not noticeably fallen over the last decade – and despite the evolvement of car technology and road infrastructure the Police/NZTA believe speed is still the key issue.

According to a joint Police/NZTA report, speed is indisputably the determinant factor in the seriousness of the crash and severity of the injury attained to those in a crash. 

Additional statistics from the Ministry Of Transport claim driver speed was a factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes, 21 percent of serious injury crashes and 16 percent of minor injury crashes.

According to the NZTA, this new campaign consciously targets middle-aged men from 35-60 who are cited as self-entitled, confident drivers who do not like to be told to slow down.

It recognises the harm of speeding but equally attempts to shift the perception of those who casually exceed the speed limit.

As well as broadcast AV, videos have been created for social, featuring real cops and their real experiences. These will give the New Zealand public a genuine snapshot of the importance of speed enforcement, and will roll out continuously over the coming months.

Credits:
Client: NZ Transport Agency
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Media Agency: OMD

Production Company: Finch

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