Phone free: NZ Transport road safety ad goes viral

A HILARIOUS ad campaign that aims to prevent drivers from using their phones takes an oddball approach to road safety.

A HILARIOUS ad campaign that aims to prevent young drivers from using their phones has gone viral for its oddball approach to road safety.

Set to the tune of Lionel Richie’s Hello, the New Zealand Transport Authority ad features a windshield view of a series of drivers and passengers.

Rather than shock tactics, this ad campaign is all about social awkwardness.

When the driver’s phone rings, and he or she reaches down to pick it up, the passenger slyly slides a hand over the phone.

The result is an excruciating — borderline creepy — hand-hold that brings cringeworthy to a whole new level.

The ad’s tagline — “Put me first. Drive phone free.” — drives home the danger of driver distraction.

The embarrassing hand-holding gets the attention of viewers.

Adrian Stephenson, adviser for NZTA Senior Education, said research suggested driver distraction was likely to be a factor in 20 to 30 per cent of crashes.

“While lots of overseas campaigns still use shock tactics, we realised we needed to take a different approach with young people if we had any hope of getting their attention,” he said.