Public service announcements that work

Public service announcements - whether it be from school, or from TV, we all know the ads that attempt to curtail negative behaviour (i.e. drunk driving) that poses a danger to ourselves and to others.

The problem is, while the cause of these advertisements is worthwhile, they are notoriously ineffective. Why? Any number of reasons. Often, in order not to be deemed too graphic or too offensive, even public service announcements are toned down to a degree where they end up sugarcoating the problem they are trying to fight, rather than presenting it accurately. Other times, they rely too heavily on statistics and data that, while portraying a grim picture, just does not affect the average person. The danger the PSA is trying to warn of does not become tangible.

Below, I have collated a small sample of public service announcements that I think work - at least more effectively than most of what you would commonly see on TV. If you agree or disagree, or have come across another great PSA, your comments are appreciated.

Warning: some of these are rather graphic. But I guess that's the point.

Drunk driving (Australia)

Texting while driving (UK)

Cocaine use (New Zealand)

Speeding & risky driving (Australia)

The Victorian Transport Accident Commission in Australia has been responsible for many of the best driving-related PSAs I have ever seen. The two shown above are only a small example. You can check out many more on their Youtube page, and have a look at their '20 years of traffic safety ads' montage below.

Comments

[Ben]

TAC have destroyed so many cars...