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The 'Don’t Rush' road safety campaign In This Section

Country speeding
Don’t Rush – Phase 1 – Multiple Choices, Phase 2 campaign
Testimonials P plate speeding campaign
Point to point campaign
Overview Speeding campaign
The new Don’t Rush campaign has two phases; Phase 1 Multiple Choices The pinkie campaign
and Phase 2 Testimonials. Both campaigns feature Professor Brian Owler from
the Australian Medical Association NSW Branch to speak first hand on behalf of
frontline staff who are directly impacted by the consequences of road trauma.
Both phases highlight the human and emotional costs associated with unsafe Related links:
driving behaviours. Notes advertising
campaign
Phase 1 Multiple Choices is used in key holiday periods and supports other
enforcement style campaigns also aired at that time. It features the Professor Information for young and
filmed in his customary location, the surgery theatre, talking directly to new drivers
camera. The Professor presents a simple questionnaire with two potential
responses for each question. He appeals to the rational side of the viewer’s brain and while there is really only
one choice, the professor has too often has seen the outcome when these questions are answered wrongly.
Phase 2 Testimonials features real life road crash survivors and their families, friends and other real life
community members impacted by speeding related crashes. It delivers an emotional message in reminding
drivers of the serious consequences of unsafe driving with the individuals featured stating “I wish I wasn’t in this
ad”. The campaign builds on the impact of featuring medical professionals, again using Professor Owler in
delivering the line “I wish I wasn’t in this ad”.
Links to the 'Dont Rush' campaign videos are at the bottom of this page.

Behavioural Issues & Facts/ Figures

Speeding remains the biggest single road safety issue on NSW roads. At least 46 per cent (or 207) of all
fatalities in 2009 were speed-related, compared with 152 in 2008 and 140 in 2007. This represents a 48 per
cent increase in speed related fatalities since 2007.
Each year there are approximately 700,000 speeding offences recorded in the RTA DRIVES database. This is a
good measure of the actual speeding behaviour of drivers.
Driver fatigue is also a significant factor in contributing to the road toll. Driver fatigue can occur in any driver of
any age. Below are some key fatal crash statistics in relation to fatigue (based on fatigue data collected 2005-
2009):
Fatal crashes involving fatigued motor vehicle controllers are more likely to happen on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays than on other days in the week.
The risk of a fatal fatigue crash is highest between 10pm and 6am when the body’s circadian rhythms are
programming sleep – four times greater than for the rest of the day
79 per cent of all fatal fatigue crashes occur on country roads.

Aim
The proposed campaign is presented in two phases, one to be run holiday periods and the other to run outside
of holidays. The objectives of the campaign are consistent for both phases:
Reinforce the crash consequences of speeding
Contribute to an overall reduction in the road toll
Develop community consciousness around the emotional and physical impact on others as a result of road
trauma
Reinforce the importance of speed compliance amongst all drivers with an emphasis on males
Encourage community vigilance amongst peers in speaking out against others in their peer group who don’t
stick to the road rules.

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/campaigns/index.html 7/02/2011
Advertising campaigns Page 2 of 3

Target Audience
Primary:
The primary audience is those drivers featured in speed-related crashes and are characterised by the following:
Speed-related crashes in NSW are predominantly a male problem. Fatal crash data for the most recent five-
year period (2004-2008) was analysed to identify the distinguishing characteristics of speed-related crashes
and the motor vehicle drivers who were considered speeding.
Of all drivers involved in fatal speed-related crashes:
82 percent were male
40 percent were males under 30
26 percent were males 30-49
Slightly more than half (55 per cent) of all licences in NSW are held by males and there are two distinct age
groups driving the over-representation of speeding male motor vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.
These are:
speeding male drivers in the young age group (aged under 30 years)
speeding male drivers in the median age group (aged 30-49 years)
Based on these data, the primary target age for this campaign is males aged 20 – 49 years.
Secondary:
The secondary audience is drivers featured in fatigue related crashes. Fatigued drivers are characterised by the
following:
The majority of drivers involved in fatigue related fatal crashes in NSW are male (81 per cent).
Most of the fatigued drivers and motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes are aged 40 years or more (61
per cent).
The secondary target audience also includes all NSW drivers because this is a whole of community message.

Key Message
The key message of the campaign is “Don’t Rush”. This message is appropriate for speeding and driver fatigue.
Other campaign messages include:
There are consequences for speeding.
Speeding is socially unacceptable.
Driving to the road conditions will reduce opportunity for a crash
Unsafe driving impacts on more than the individuals involved in the crash
Stop. Revive. Survive.

Campaign media
The campaign uses television as the key media channel supported by radio, road side billboards, print, and
online advertising. Online users are directed to the RTA Slow Down Pledge initiative where they can view
Professor Owler taking the slow down pledge and are encouraged to take the slow down pledge for themselves.

Evaluation
The campaign is being evaluated throughout the campaign periods to determine the campaign effectiveness
and highlight any areas that can be developed to further ensure its success in future periods.

'Dont Rush' videos

Phase 1 - Multiple Choices

NOTE: To view the videos you will need Flash 8 or above. Download the latest Adobe Flash player.

1. Click on the image (left) to watch (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/campaigns/index.html 7/02/2011
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1. Click on the image (left) to watch (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

Phase 2 - Testimonials
Watch the Don’t Rush – Testimonial road safety campaign videos
featuring James Archer and Lyn Bell
NOTE: To view the videos you will need Flash 8 or above. Download the latest Adobe Flash player.

1. Click on the image (left) to watch. (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

2. Click on the image (left) to watch. (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

3. Click on the image (left) to watch. (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

4. Click on the image (left) to watch. (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

5. Click on the image (left) to watch. (duration: 30 seconds, file size: 1MB).

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http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/campaigns/index.html 7/02/2011