Stunt crash ads grab attention

An advertising campaign promoting safety at intersections crashes has got motorists talking and police wondering how it was done.

The television advertisement features a series of crashes at intersections with the message that intersections are dangerous and need a high degree of vigilance.

In the advertisement cars career into each other as they fail to give way or stop.

Pedestrians and motorcyclists also become victims of careless drivers.

The crashes were filmed over three days in Auckland and featured stunt drivers and cars bought for the advertisement.

The Land Transport Safety Authority would not comment on the cost of the advertisement but said it was part of a $2 million campaign to convince drivers to "take another look at intersections".

LTSA spokesman Andy Knackstead said all the drivers and people in the crash cars were stuntmen or women and no one was hurt in the three days it took to film the advertisement.

He said the advertisement had been very effective.

"It has certainly been noticed.

"The point has been to get people's radar up and make them realise they have to have a another look at intersections," he said

The LTSA said failure to give way or stop was the third largest cause of deaths and injuries on the roads, behind speeding and drink-driving and accounted for nearly a quarter of all road crash injuries.

It said in the last three years more than 120 people had been killed and more than 1000 seriously hurt after drivers failed to give way in crashes where alcohol and speed were not factors.

Police said it was too soon to say how effective the crash advertisement had been but one officer said it had caused considerable discussion in a police lunch room in Auckland about how it was done.

- NZPA


Herald Feature: Road safety