We all hear time and again how wearing a seatbelt in the car will save our lives if we get into a car accident. While hearing it is one thing, seeing it is a totally different ball game. In order to up the safety game, the New Zealand Transport Agency came out with a campaign showing car crash survivors who were only alive because they wore a seatbelt.
To get these injuries looking fresh, the organization used the photos of the guys after their accidents and reconstructed their wounds based on that. If this is how the guys looked WITH their seatbelt on, just imagine what they would look like without...
Statistics in New Zealand show that young men are more likely to drive without their seatbelt on. To lower this statistic, the organization asked 10 guys who were involved in bad car accidents to get in front of the camera.
For the campaign, there was a team of FX makeup artists called PROFX who would take the photos of these guys post-crash and use their makeup skills to recreate their injuries.
These guys are lucky to be alive when you see what kind of marks the seatbelt made on their torso, not to mention other injuries to their faces and arms. For this campaign, the guys happily got the injuries put back on them.
They wore the injuries like proud soldiers. Some had severe injuries that are hard to stomach, while others had just a few cuts and bruises. Despite the level of injury, all of them were lucky enough to survive their respective accidents.
Liam, for example, was T-boned by a large truck while he was on his way home. The accident left him in a coma that he incredibly woke up from in time to see his daughter being born.
The timing for him was lucky, but it wasn't the case for everyone. This is why the campaign was even happening, to remind people just how important wearing a seatbelt it - it's not just about your life.
For Dion, his seatbelt not only saved his life, it had him walking away from the accident with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. Side note - this photo is not of Dion, this guy's injuries are far more serious, as you can see.
All of these men have the seatbelt mark in common. While it was definitely not a pleasant feeling, the seatbelt was the only reason they stuck to their seats in the car and didn't fly out.
These men told the stories of their accidents so that more young men in New Zealand will make the incredibly small effort of putting on their seat belt when in a car (whether they are the ones driving or not).
The organization behind this campaign is trying to shred the statistics in the country as they are so sad and wasteful.
“You can’t argue with these stories. They’re real experiences, lived by real people,” Clemenger BBDO Wellington ECD Brigid Alkema shared. “We hope this truth will move our audience to wear their seatbelt.”
It's hard to look at these photos and not cringe. These men are lucky to be alive and it all comes down to the smart move of putting their seatbelt on.
The ads are up online but are also printed and posted in the hometown of each of these guys. Their friends, neighbors, and community who know them and even those that don't, can't ignore a face they know and a story that is much closer to home.
The organization knew that it would be much more successful if the ads had real people with real stories and injuries, making it harder for people to ignore. They definitely got that right...
The New Zealand Transport Agency picked some pretty gory injuries to show the public, but it gets the point across for those who think for one second about not putting their seatbelt on.
Being a cool young man doesn't mean not wearing a seatbelt when you drive, the two have no connection to one another and these guys are proof of that. It's all about staying alive.
Dan was just 21 years old when he was in his horrible accident. He was hit by a man driving under the influence. His injuries include a broken jaw, broken rib, six compound fractures, and brain damage.
When the EMTs got to the scene, they needed to perform and emergency tracheotomy on him, as he was not breathing on his own. Thankfully, he made it out of the accident alive and healed from his injuries.