GovWire

A new digital audio advert featuring BBC and Netflix TV stars is being launched for a new THINK! campaign, encouraging young drivers to watch their speed.

ActorsHugo Chegwin (DJ Beats in the BBC mockumentaryPeople Just Do Nothing)and Kadeem Ramsay (Kit in NetflixsTopBoy) have paired up with THINK!, the governments road safety campaign, to warn drivers to slow down on rural roads.

The new audio advert, of which there are 13 versions, takes the form of a fake radio station UnXpected FM, hosted by DJ Beats and Kit, asking drivers:

Is pushing it worth it?

The intelligent ads will use real-time dynamic weather data, delivering messaging specific to dangerous road conditions such as ice, wind or rain, for a highly targeted radio advert.

The campaign will target men aged 17 to 24, who particularly underestimate the risks of driving too fast for the conditions, through radio and audio streaming platforms such as Spotify and DAX.

With only 32% of young men considering speeding to be very risky, despite the fact that speed kills or injures 58 young people every week, the campaign aims to remind young drivers that conditions on rural roads can change quickly and to watch their speed.

Guy Opperman, Roads Minister at the Department for Transport, said:

We hope this fresh campaign cuts through to young men, who statistically are the most likely to drive too fast on rural roads and in dangerous conditions.

This is a fresh initiative from THINK!, using recognisable voices and innovative technology to remind drivers of risks right behind the wheel.

Hugo Chegwin, writer and actor, said:

Ive no idea where they got the concept of a pastiche pirate radio station from! But its entertaining and puts an unexpected spin on an important subject.

THINK! plays an important role in improving young driver safety, with last years speeding campaign resulting in 80% of the young audience reporting to take action as a result of seeing it.

The government continues to prioritise road safety, investing 147.5 million through the Safer Roads Fund, to make improvements on the countrys most high-risk roads. There are now 83 roads funded and it is expected that the Safer Roads Fund will save 2,210 lives over the next 20 years.