It is only natural for new drivers to be nervous, but confidence
comes with real road experience – that’s the message from the
Road Whisperer in a new campaign by THINK!.
The Jeff Bridges-style character, with a distinctive southern
American drawl, will feature in a series of films and GIFs
throughout March to give new drivers tips that will help them
deal with the challenges of driving solo.
Road Safety Minister said:
Everyone feels some nerves when they’re on the road for the
first time, but it takes a good driver to admit it.
Confidence comes with time and practice, so it’s important to
keep learning and build up experience to become a better
driver.
And that commitment to keep learning is what this THINK!
campaign, with its tips and guidance, aims to create.
The films will focus on a series of tips relating to situations
where new drivers feel vulnerable or have the highest road
casualties, including driving at night, and on country roads and
motorways.
Advice will also cover tyre safety and looking out for vulnerable
road users, and all tips will be delivered in the Road
Whisperer’s signature style.
The Road Whisperer said:
We were all fresh to the roads once. When I started out, I was
as nervous as they come!
Young folks need to know it’s a long road of learning after you
pass your test, so go steady. I didn’t learn how to play the
guitar like Keith Richards overnight.
Recent research commissioned by THINK! found that 17-30 year-old
male drivers often feel vulnerable on the road, believing that
while you only really start to learn how to drive after passing
your test, you still need to appear confident in front of other
people.
The films, created in partnership with marketing agency
VMLY&R, will be broadcast online and on social media during
March, while the Night Driving film will also be shown in
cinemas.
The New Driver campaign builds on THINK’s
award-winning ‘Mates Matter’
campaign – which saw the biggest shift in more than a
decade in young men’s attitudes towards drink driving. It
encourages young men to set new ‘man’ standards by accepting
their inexperience and not giving in to the perceived pressure to
perform.
These hard-hitting THINK! campaigns represent just one of the
measures the Department for Transport is taking to improve road
safety, particularly for younger drivers. Our upcoming road
safety action plan will include further details.
