The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) campaign run in partnership with the Essendon Football Club reminding Victorians about the importance of wearing a seatbelt was honoured in the Best Cause-Related Sponsorship category at the Sydney awards.
The campaign, which ran in August last year and concluded with the AFL’s Road Safety Round, marked the 40th anniversary of the introduction of compulsory seatbelts in Victoria.
The campaign was designed to increase compliance, save lives, and reinforce the importance to both drivers and passengers of wearing a seatbelt at all times.
Essendon Football Club’s ruckman David Hille was the face of the campaign which also saw the club alter its traditional red strip to feature a seatbelt in its clash against Collingwood at the MCG on 13 August.
Hille also featured in television, print, radio and online advertising, where the key message was; ‘Belt up or suffer the pain’.
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TAC Senior Manager of Road Safety and Marketing, John Thompson, was thrilled to win the national award and hoped the campaign resonated with all Victorian motorists.
“While it is always pleasing to be recognized, what’s more important for us is that Victorians saw this campaign and remembered to wear their seatbelt,” Mr Thompson.
“We designed this campaign to highlight the success of the seatbelt legislation, honor the Victorians who introduced it, and recognize the impact it has made in saving thousands of lives.”
Research shows in the event of a crash, wearing a seatbelt reduces the probability of being killed by 40-50 per cent for drivers and front seat passengers, and 25 per cent for rear seat passengers.
“But still, a quarter of drivers and passengers killed in Victoria each year are not restrained properly – that’s about 50 people per year,” Mr Thompson said.
Click here to purchase a signed copy of Matthew Lloyd's new autobiography Straight Shooter at the Bomber Shop today.
