Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS): advert-body-3 by Ogilvy & Mather Costa Rica

If you drive through the streets of Costa Rica it is possible that some of these scenarios sound familiar: motorcycles passing by double yellow line, bordering between buses, skipping traffic lights, disrespecting the speed limit and even driving on the sidewalk. The most alarming thing is that motorcyclists, making up only 18% of the total vehicle fleet, account for 44% of deaths in traffic accidents. According to the Road Safety Council, the great majority of accidents are caused by the imprudence of drivers.

For this reason Instituto Nacional de Seguros, in its most recent road safety campaign, exposes through 4 tutorials the consequences of driving recklessly, and asks drivers to “be really smart", driving with care. Each tutorial is different: "How to overtake on a turn?", "How to overtake in traffic?", "How to run a red light?" and "How to exceed the speed limit?".

These tutorials are told by former motorcyclists who were real victims of motorcycle accidents and lost some of their limbs. These people agreed to be part of the INS awareness campaign and recreate the attitudes of reckless motorcyclists in order to eradicate the irresponsible culture when driving a motorcycle.

These tutorials tell, step by step and in an ironic way, how to do these imprudent things, which were chosen as representative of the different types of "smart ass" that motorcycle drivers have in Costa Rica. The contents feed on the attitude of many drivers who believe that "being the smartest" or "the best at the wheel" are immune to road accidents, and forget that motorcyclists are the most exposed to suffering serious accidents.

The videos aim to talk to all motorcycle riders in the country and also to those who are thinking of buying one. It is a reality that in the country motorcycles are an intelligent option for mobility, however it is imperative that there is a change in driving behavior and a strong culture of prevention so that the number of accidents is reduced.