January 2006

Valentine campaign is back for third year

For my girlfriend™ will once again run across several areas of England during February 2006. As has been the case for the last three years, campaign activity will peak in the run-up to Valentines Day.

The February 2006 campaign comprises a Valentine card, and a poster that will appear in male washrooms in pubs and nightclubs.

The Valentine card arrives in a sealed envelope with the words 'For my Valentine' apparently hand written on it. The card carries the same message on the front but inside the message is: 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill you. I was driving too fast'. The text is accompanied by a picture of a female passenger being cut out of a wrecked car, with the emergency services in attendance.

The card is being distributed with the help of educational establishments, nightclubs and pubs, leisure centres, sport and social clubs and major employers - places where young people are likely to be found in significant numbers.

The Valentine card has been used for the past two years, and has proved somewhat controversial in some quarters. But it has been tested among young people and, while they did not like it, they admitted it had impact and made them think.

The card is also designed to help educational establishments provoke discussion among students about road safety and speed.

The campaign poster features the same picture of the girl in a crashed car surrounded by members of the emergency services. The headline says: 'If you don't like this many blokes round your girlfriend - slow down'.

The posters will appear in gents' toilets in clubs, pubs and bars. This media option was selected because it is relatively low cost and directly targets young men. It will also appear in educational establishments where the Valentine card is being distributed.

Road safety teams from the following local authorities are participating in the February 2006 campaign: Bracknell Forest; Buckinghamshire; Cambridgeshire; Essex; Hertfordshire; Luton; Milton Keynes; Norfolk; Oxfordshire; Peterborough; Reading; Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead; Slough; Somerset; South Gloucestershire; Suffolk; Thurrock; West Berkshire; Wirrall; and Wokingham.

Safety camera partnerships covering the following areas are also participating in the campaign: Hampshire & Isle of Wight; Kent & Medway; and Sussex.