Sussex, United Kingdon -- It seems doubtful the Sussex Safer Road Partnership, a British organization devoted to reducing road-related deaths and injuries could have foreseen the global impact of its "Embrace Life" public service announcement campaign.
A minute-and-a-half television spot was created as the centerpiece of the program that used a novel approach, departing from the shock treatment style often associated with road safety promotion. The advertisement is presented below:
The ad soon went "viral," and became one of the most viewed PSAs ever on the video sharing site YouTube with more than two million views as of March, 2010. The spot also received numerous accolades from viewers across the globe, touting the ad as the most successful safety campaign in history.
The writer/director of the ad, Daniel Cox offered the following insights into his approach in developing the ad in an article at injuryboard.com: “I wanted to create a visual metaphor addressing how a single decision in a person’s day can greatly influence both their own and their loved ones’ lives.” That’s exactly what he’s done; the world thanks him for it.