In A Spin about Seatbelts

A fresh push to get drivers and their passengers to wear their seatbelts receives another boost today. The Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership is taking the initiative on with a new and innovative radio advertising campaign and extra police checks around the region.

The radio ad, which starts on air this week, was actually recorded on the ‘Nemesis Inferno’ ride at THORPE PARK. It highlights how foolish it would be to get on a rollercoaster without a safety restraint, yet people are making similarly risky decisions every day when they don’t wear their seatbelt.

Speaking for the Safer Roads Partnership, Dan Campsall said “Just getting every driver and passenger to wear a seatbelt would save an estimated 368[i] lives per year – that’s the capacity of a Boeing 777. It’s a tragic waste of life for the two seconds it takes to belt-up!”

Neil Griffiths, the creative consultant from GCAP Media who wrote the ad said:

“We are always looking for a different angle, something that will grab the driver’s attention, trying to get them to think in a fresh way about their own safety.”

Throughout the rest of February there will be extra seatbelt checks going on around the Thames Valley area, particularly as we tie in with TISPOL (the European Traffic Police network) towards the end of the month.

Thanks go to THORPE PARK who helped with creating the advert by allowing their ride to be used for this purpose. Gareth Arculus, Assistant PR Manager for THORPE PARK said “Naturally, safety is a huge priority for THORPE PARK, so we were pleased to help support this important safety message; extreme thrills are for the theme park, not on the road.

[i] Source: DfT 2007.