Scottish government unveils campaign showing that parents’ driving can impact on what their children do
The Scottish government is launching a campaign with Road Safety Scotland, part of Transport Scotland, to promote the influence that parents’ driving can have on their children’s safety when they become drivers themselves.
The ‘Kids in the Car’ campaign is based on the premise that every time parents get behind the wheel with their children in the car, they’re giving them a lesson which could save their lives in the future, based on research that a child’s behaviour is based on their parents' and carers’ behaviour.
The social marketing campaign includes television, cinema, radio, shopping trolley and online advertising, as well as a marketing roadshow, PR and social media.
Katherine Goodwin, head of safer marketing at the Scottish Government, said: “Every week, a driver aged under 20 is killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads. This campaign takes a long-term, ground-up approach to reducing this unacceptable figure by focusing on the example parents are setting for their children in the car now – even from a very young age.
“The campaign comes from the child’s perspective and highlights the link between what children see and hear from the back seat of the car and how they’ll behave as drivers themselves in the future. By making parents and carers aware of this link, and by focusing on the types of behaviours children as young as four are telling us they’re picking up on in the car, we hope to make Scotland’s future drivers safer.”
The campaign is also set to be supported by Arnold Clark, VisitScotland, Bauer Media, Education Scotland and Asda.