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'Don't Truck Around' the message for young road users

06 April 2018

‘Don’t Truck Around’ has been the named winner of the Re:act 2018 road safety campaign aimed at 18-25 year olds sharing the road with heavy vehicles.

The campaign was created by Caitlin Preyser, Charlotte Hicks and Grace Kirby – three of the 30 third year Swinburne University Communication Design students who took part in the program.

The ATA partnered with strategic creative agency Hard Edge for the challenge and will use the results to inform the design and messaging of the safety exhibition inside the Volvo ATA Safety Truck (fuelled by BP, powered by NTI). 

“Not only has the Re:act project allowed us to engage with a young audience, but we have been able to gain insights into how they want to hear road safety messages and how they want us to communicate with them,” ATA Safety and Skills Adviser Melissa Weller said today.

“This is a chance for us to gain insights into possible future directions for the Volvo ATA Safety Truck safety exhibition and displays, and ensure this great resource is as effective as possible in educating drivers and future drivers about how to share the road safely with trucks,” she said.  

The Re:act behavioural change project is now a compulsory course requirement for third year design students at Swinburne University. Each year’s creative challenge is centred around making 18-25 year olds consider their actions by increasing awareness of the dangers they may face on the roads.

“We believe this is the first time a behavioural change campaign about vulnerable road users around trucks has been specifically targeted at the 18-25 year old segment,” Hard Edge Managing Director Andrew Hardwick said.

“Previous projects have focused on safer use of mobile phones in vehicles and driving the morning after drinking. With the number of trucks on our roads expected to double in the next 20 years, the 2018 campaign is another significant step in improving road safety among inexperienced drivers,” he said.

‘Don’t Truck Around’ will now be translated into a $6,000 campaign across Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus during the university’s second semester O Week. Representatives from each of the top three finalists will also pitch their campaign at the ATA Trucking Australia 2018 conference on 19 April, with all campaigns also being displayed at the event.

After hearing the pitches, conference delegates will vote for their favourite which will receive an industry choice award. The ATA will consider the Re:act designs and the views of Trucking Australia delegates as part of its work on the future direction of the exhibition. The ATA will continue to work with its members and Foundation sponsors before making decisions on the design.

Image available for download here.

For more information visit www.re-act.com.au