The UK has a long tradition of using humour to make public information films more palatable. The new film below is a great example. It is produced by Devon County Council to promote bike safety. Motorcycles and their riders are vulnerable when other road users fail to see them and pull out in front of bikes at road junctions. Two tonnes of car squaring up to 300kg of bike is no contest. If you don't know what SMIDSY means, watch the video!
Some public safety films from the 1970's have achieved cult status. Some notable examples include:
Learn To Swim - featuring "Dave" and "Mike" competing for the affections of a girl who loves to swim.
Charley says... Don't Talk to Strangers - the first of a large number of films featuring Charley the cat.
Tufty Buys an Ice Cream - Tufty was the #1 road safety figure in the UK for many years.
Crossplys and Radials Don't Mix - a warning about mixing tyre types on a cars.
I would love to see some of the other old films. It would also be great to see if other countries did the same. Feel free to get in contact if you have any good examples.
Posted by Paul on July 21, 2007 at 01:28 AM BST #