A striking new road safety campaign inspired by the concept of personal space is reminding young drivers to leave a safe distance between their vehicle and the one in front.
The design by two North Metropolitan TAFE students shows two figures walking in step with cars for shoes, accompanied by the tagline: “Would you walk this close?”
Re:act is a worldwide road safety program which gives young people the opportunity to develop behaviour change campaigns that positively influence their peers and the community they live in.
The annual program challenges design communication students from across Australia, including WA’s Curtin University and North Metropolitan TAFE, to create campaigns that raise awareness of road safety issues and change behaviour among 17 to 25-year-olds.
The Road Safety Commission has supported Re:act as a program partner since 2021, the first year the program was conducted in WA.
This year’s theme required students to highlight the risk of following the vehicle in front too closely, which can increase the chances of being in a collision by up to 15 times.
North Metropolitan TAFE winning students Matthew Pyle and Owen Figliomeni wanted their bold design to be understood by drivers at a glance.
“I hope that people who see the campaign will make the connection that tailgating is essentially invading personal space with an added element of risk, leading them to make safer driving choices,” Mr Figliomeni said.
“Rather than trying to scare people, we want the campaign to make drivers think about their behaviour in a simple and relatable way,” Mr Pyle said.
The selected design is on display on a high-profile billboard on Leach Highway in Melville for maximum impact.
It will also be on digital displays at more than 200 retail locations, including Cockburn Gateway, Belmont Forum and Midland Gate shopping centres, and office foyers throughout the CBD, including at Raine Square and St George’s Square, during September.
Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the Road Safety Commission’s partnership with Re:act gives a kickstart to the next generation of communicators while also delivering fresh messaging to some of the State’s most at-risk road users.
“Empowering young people to be leaders amongst their peers is one of the most effective tools for delivering road safety messaging,” Mr Warner said.
“This eye-catching design is simple yet thought provoking.
“Having their design displayed on a billboard while they are still studying is a huge opportunity and I congratulate Owen and Matthew on their campaign being selected.”
More than 70 million people across Australia, South America, North America and the United Kingdom have seen student-created campaigns since Re:act’s launch in Australia in 2016.
See Owen and Matthew’s campaign and all the student-created campaigns via Re:act.
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