My daughter rides a motorbike. Like so many people her age, she rides it wearing whatever she put on that day. Clemenger BBDO Melbourne’s new motorcycle safety commercial for The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) made a shudder go up my spine and explode in my brain.

I hope it has the same effect on her and every other motorcycle rider who watches it. I hope every motorcycle rider watches it.

Warning: You will feel the rider’s pain

In Victoria, motorcycles only make up 4% of registered vehicles and less than 1% of total kilometres travelled. Riders, however, account for 17% of deaths and serious injuries on Victoria’s roads. In 2021, there were 43 motorcycle fatalities, an increase of 11 from 2020.

Summer is the busiest time on Victorian roads for motorcyclists, and the new campaign is a timely reminder of how casual clothing such as sneakers, jeans and hoodies only protect riders for a fraction of a second in a crash.

“This campaign hits home the risks of having such a casual attitude towards wearing proper protective gear,” stated Joanne Whyte, head of marketing & communications.

“The audience we are speaking to either do not have the right protective gear or chose not to wear all of their protective gear for every ride. Casual clothing such as sneakers, hoodies and jeans only protect a rider for less than a second on impact with the road and often result in devastating injuries.”

Data from TAC shows that, on average, there are 2,500 motorcycle-related injury claims per year. Riders can, and do, travel unprotected at high speeds that other vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, simply cannot reach. Protective clothing is an important way to reduce the risk of injury.

“This isn’t a dramatised version of what could happen, it’s the reality of a risk experienced riders take daily when they don’t protect their entire body on every ride,” commented Richard Williams, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO.

“TAC and Clemenger have a proven partnership of creating public education campaigns that have an impact and change behaviour, and this one is no different.”

The campaign will run in online video, OOH, press, radio, digital, social and through partners.

Credits

Client: TAC
Head of Marketing & Communications: Jo Whyte
Senior Manager, Marketing: Sagar Sheth
Campaign Manager, Marketing – Molly Ennor

Creative: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

Production Company: Revolver 
Director: Justin Kurzel 
Producer: Alice Grant
Executive Producer: Pip Smart
DOP: Jeremy Rouse

Editor: Jack Hutchings
Post-production: Blockhead
VFX Artist: Larry Van D
Colourist: Billy Wychgel

Sound House: Squeak E. Clean
Sound Engineer: Paul Le Couter

Media: OMD