Australia is famous for its deadly predators – sharks, blue-ringed octopuses, funnel web spiders…and the stingray that killed Steve Irwin.
In fact, Australia’s deadliest predator is none of these and in a striking collision of behavioural science and creativity, Thinkerbell and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Thinkerbell are showing Australia what is – speeding cars.
The campaign, Australia’s Deadliest Predator, is an integrated public experience combining a striking physical installation, immersive audio, social video, and radio.
Between 2001 and 2021, six Australians died each year on average due to deadly animals. By contrast, speeding has claimed more than 400 lives annually, totalling 4100 deaths in the past decade alone. Despite the data, TAC-commissioned research found a dangerous perception gap: nearly 75% of Australians fear snakes, but only 11% believe driving 5 km/h over the limit is extremely dangerous.
The project begins with a large-scale public exhibit in Melbourne’s CBD that mimics a zoo enclosure. But instead of a fearsome animal, visitors encounter the wreckage of a car destroyed in a speed-related crash. This draws attention to the fact that Australia’s deadliest predator is actually a speeding car, killing far more people in Australia than snakes, sharks, or crocodiles combined.
An accompanying audio experience, accessible on-site or via personal devices, guides listeners through the chilling reality of how a small speed increase can spiral into tragedy. People will also experience the project across multiple other touchpoints asking people to consider Australia’s greatest predator.
TAC Head of Community, Jacqui Sampson, stated, “Australia’s Deadliest Predator is a bold initiative that compares speeding fatalities to deaths caused by dangerous wildlife, encouraging Australians to rethink what they fear the most. We are showing up differently to connect Victorians to the real dangers of speeding and challenge the relaxed mentality that ‘just a little bit over the limit’ is OK. We are all in control of our behaviours on the road and have an absolute obligation to keep ourselves and others safe.
Tom Wenborn, chief creative at Thinkerbell, added, “We wanted to hold a mirror up to the public’s irrational fears. People panic about snakes and sharks, yet shrug at doing 10km/ph over. From exhibit to earbud to screen, it’s a multi-sensory intervention against complacency.”
Adam Ferrier, psychologist and chief thinker at Thinkerbell, commented, ”Humans are hardwired to fear dramatic, visible threats—like sharks, snakes, or crocodiles—because our brains evolved to react to immediate and vivid dangers. But when it comes to everyday risks like speeding cars, we tend to underestimate the danger. This is a classic case of the availability heuristic: we worry about what’s most memorable, not what’s most likely. Behavioural science shows us that to shift behaviour, we need to make the invisible visible—so Australians can start seeing speeding not just as a statistic, but as the country’s deadliest predator.”
The Australia’s Deadliest Predator enclosure is open to the public August 20-24 outside the Melbourne Museum.
Credits
Creative Agency: Thinkerbell
Client: TAC
Media: UM
Activation Production: Graffiti
Audio Production: Eardrum
Film Production: Thinkerbell
