Cape Town - The Western Cape transport department has hailed its controversial ’First Kiss’ campaign a huge success, as seat-belt compliance showed a dramatic increase of 161 percent.
The ‘First Kiss’ campaign was started in March as part of the Safely Home initiative, and depicts the consequences of not buckling up, which results in a couple’s first kiss never coming to pass.
The hard-hitting TV commercial stars a young couple making eyes at a party and then spending the night trying to find a place to make out.
But the romance is short-lived as they get into a car with their friends and the young man opts not to buckle up.
Everybody is killed in the accident, including his new found love.
The advert sparked heated public discussion, with criticism being levelled at the graphic portrayal of the consequences of reckless road user behaviour.
Transport MEC Donald Grant said on Monday there was a 27.5 percent increase in overall seatbelt compliance lin May, while passenger fatalities were down 30 percent versus 2014/2015 numbers.
“The assessment of the campaign’s impact has proved that the scientific, evidence-driven methodologies employed to create First Kiss really work,” he added.
Grant said the department had conducted four seatbelt compliance surveys at four major intersections in Cape Town, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha and the northern suburbs, before launching the advert - 1226 vehiclescarrying 2399 occupants.
“These surveys were snap counts, conducted by actual observation of driver and passenger behaviour, not from self-reported behaviour,” he said.
According to the department, based on observation of vehicle occupants, the surveys found an overall compliance of 40 percent.
“Six weeks into the campaign, these four surveys were repeated at the same intersections,” Grant said. Overall compliance went up to 51 percent, an increase of 11 percentage points.
“This translates to a 27.5 percent improvement overall. By far the most impressive improvement was in rear-seat compliance, which shot up an astonishing 161.5 percent.”
The survey found overall compliance improved with a little more than more half of all vehicle occupants wearing a seatbelt. Compliance in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain remained comparatively lower.
Cape Argus
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