Surfers carve out distracted driving message

The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has teamed up with Surfing Victoria for a new partnership aimed at discouraging young people from using a phone while driving.

With Victoria’s iconic Bells Beach as a backdrop, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) will be at next week’s World Surf League event, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, with a targeted new campaign highlighting the dangers of distracted driving to more than 35,000 surfing fans.

The interactive campaign, featuring taglines ‘The Text Can Wait’ and ‘No Txt, No Wrecks’, takes a light-hearted approach to draw an association between the idea of texting while surfing, resulting in crashes and wipe-outs, and the dangers of phone use while driving.

“The TAC is always looking for new and innovative ways to reach key audiences, and our new partnership with Surfing Victoria allows us to promote safe driving at a truly iconic event, the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach,” TAC CEO Tracey Slatter said.

“We know that mobile phone distractions are a major contributor to road trauma and this new campaign is a unique and engaging way of reminding people of the dangers,” she said.

Research shows that a driver’s risk of being involved in a crash more than doubles when they are distracted with their eyes off the road for just two seconds.

A two-second glance at your phone while driving in a 50km/h zone could mean travelling blind for 28 metres, while the distance increases to 55 metres when travelling at 100km/h.

“Driving is a complex task that requires our full attention, so the best way to avoid being distracted by our phones is to put them away altogether or activate the ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ function,” Ms Slatter said.

Victorian surfers regularly travel to beaches on the state’s regional road network, which consistently has higher rates of fatal and serious injury crashes.

TAC research shows that younger demographics are also more likely to use their phones while behind the wheel, with 55 per cent of 18-25-year-olds, and 66 per cent of 26-39-year-olds, admitting to the behaviour.

The TAC’s presence at the Rip Curl Pro will include an interactive activity where participants attempt to play video game, Kelly Slater Pro Surfer, while being challenged by distractions, like a mobile phone placed in the middle of the screen, text message notifications and phone call ring tones.

“We are proud to partner with the TAC and help spread road safety messages to surfers and surf fans across the state,” Surfing Victoria CEO Adam Robertson said.

“We know that surfers spend a lot of time driving searching for waves. This campaign will help drive awareness of the risks of distracted driving,” he said.