This article is written by Anna Goulden.

According to the World Health Organisation, road traffic injuries are the eighth most common cause of death globally—and the number one killer of people aged 5-29. This means that 1.35 million lives are lost each year.

And yet every one of these deaths is preventable. From speeding and not wearing a seatbelt, to drink driving and texting at the wheel, there are certain behaviours that are common yet avoidable factors in crashes. That’s why public awareness campaigns have the power to transform behaviour and, in turn, save lives.

But changing normalised patterns of behaviour is never easy. So what makes an effective campaign? Here are some smart ways to sell your message and inspire change.

1. Make it emotive

As well as helping maximise the initial impact of your campaign, emotion is proven to be a key motivator for action. This makes it a powerful tool in any project looking to inspire behavioural change.

For instance, in a bid to dissuade young people from texting whilst driving, the UK’s Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative collected the final texts sent by drivers who died while texting and displayed them across the region.

The 2018 'Last Text' campaign featured giant mobile phones, each with a driver’s last message on their screen and a plaque on the back explaining how they crashed, who they were texting and why. The texts were also featured on billboards, posters and beer mats, and in pubs, petrol stations and bars.

One victim’s last message was “driving and Facebooking isn’t safe! Haha” while another’s was “This happy song makes me HAPPY” They were mundane yet heart-wrenching.

And their emotional impact meant the campaign spread fast. It took to social media, with people sharing the texts on Twitter along with the hashtag #LastText.

The Last Text Tour arrives in Sunderland today on Market Square.

Each text was sent by a driver who unfortunately lost their lives as a result of their actions behind the wheel.

#LastText #NoLookNoPhoneNoTouch pic.twitter.com/fqL2h5l2Ld

— Road Respect (@RoadRespect) July 17, 2018

2. Use behavioural insights

To steer human behaviour, first you must understand it.

The Scottish government, for instance, drew on behavioural science to reduce reckless behaviour among young male drivers, the group most at risk of death in road accidents.

After research found that people drive differently depending on who is in the car, the government and Road Safety Scotland designed a campaign with the slogan “Drive like Gran’s in the car.”

The 2019 'Drive Smart' campaign is a series of videos. Each one features a grandma challenging her grandson on his unsafe behaviour, whether it be speeding, driving on drugs or getting distracted by friends in the car.

The clips use humour to convey a serious message, with scenes of grandmas telling off grandsons in comical ways—including popping up through the toilet in a club bathroom where the boys are taking drugs.

3. Use powerful imagery

Sometimes a strong image alone can be enough. The Colorado State Patrol’s anti-tailgating billboard campaign is the perfect example. The project uses torn and crushed billboards to represent the devastating impacts of a crash.

On one billboard, the poster with an image of a car is ripped across the middle and features the slogan “Tailgating a truck can turn any car into a convertible.” While another billboard is crushed in the centre where the poster shows a car tailgating the back of a lorry and reads “Tailgating isn’t worth it.”

In fact, the pieces made such an impact that they were awarded a place in the 2011 Communication Arts Advertising Annual.

4. Choose your audience carefully

The driver isn’t always the right target for your message. In Bangalore, for example, the Traffic Police chose to focus their campaign on the families and friends of drivers, rather than the drivers themselves.

The aim was to dissuade people from talking to their loved ones on the phone while they drive. Images of friends and relatives holding blood-spurting phones are accompanied by the slogan “Talk them dead, girlfriend” “Talk them dead, housewife” or “Talk them dead, friend”.

The shocking graphics emphasise the message that road safety is everyone’s responsibility, not just the driver's. Their impact meant that they received strong media coverage and were recognised for multiple advertisement awards.

5. Draw on scientific evidence

Be it facts and stats, or a full-on experiment, using scientific research on road safety is a great way to demonstrate risks and convince your audience to prioritise safety. And, even if not part of your message, it can help you make decisions about how to design your campaign to make it as impactful as possible.

Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission in Australia took science to the extreme by building 'Graham'–a 3D human-size model of what a man would have to look like to survive a high-speed accident. The work of a trauma surgeon, an artist and an engineer, Graham is a powerful reminder of how fragile human bodies are.

'Project Graham' features video interviews with scientists and a 3D interactive online simulation of Graham, including biological information on each body part to educate users about driving risks. Its creativity earned it a prize in the 2017 Design and Art Direction Awards.

But you don’t need to build a 'Graham' to make the most of science in your campaign. Some simple information and a bit of research can go a long way.

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