Campaign Asks Young Drivers To Reflect
5 Sep 2008

A new Midlands* wide publicity campaign asks young people to imagine how they would feel if their driving resulted in a friend sustaining permanent, life changing injuries.

'Best Mate' is based around a short film showing three young friends enjoying a game of beach volleyball. The sense of fun and exuberance is replaced by feelings of guilt and remorse for one player as he sees the fourth member of the 'gang' watching from the sidelines, unable to join the others having lost a leg in a car crash. The campaign states 'You crashed the car, your mate has to live with it'.

Billboard (click for PDF)

The campaign portrays a realistic scenario as every year thousands of young people are affected by the consequences of car crashes. Young people are at greatest risk of being injured or killed in road traffic collisions. In 2006 for example, 32,677 17-21 year old car users were killed or injured in Great Britain and 17-21 year olds represented a quarter of car users killed (DfT figures).

The making of the campaign was particularly poignant for Oliver Netherton, the male volley ball player in the film. Two of Oliver's friends died in a car crash in which the driver survived. Regardless of the cause of the crash, the driver is having to live knowing that two of his friends died whilst in his care.

A West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme spokesperson said:

"As this campaign shows, car crashes can change lives for good. We want young people to reflect on the way they drive and if necessary make changes before it's too late. They need to understand that when you drive a car you are responsible for the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users around you. Far too many young people are needlessly losing their lives, sustaining permanent injuries or having to live with the life-long responsibility of killing or seriously injuring someone else."

The film can be viewed at www.best-mate.net and is also being promoted on You Tube, via social networking sites. It will also be shown as a cinema advert and is being supported by radio adverts and outdoor posters.

ENDS

* Participating in the campaign alongside the West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme are: Warwickshire County Council, The Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia, Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, Gloucestershire Safety Camera Partnership and Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.

Drivers aged 16-19 are twice as likely as average to be injured or killed in and a road traffic collisions and 16-19 year old passengers are nearly four times as likely to be killed or injured then average. (DfT figures 2006).