Bring back public safety adverts!

[sunlovingcriminal]

Following on from another thread about the annoyance that people tailgating brings, made me reminisce about adverts from the 80s, like "only a fool breaks the two second rule"...

Why did they stop I wonder? And would there be any benefit in bringing them back?!

I know twerp drivers would likely remain twerp drivers, but in my head catchy adverts would help!!

And they could bring out new ones, like looking up from your phone when crossing the road... "look up from your screen, or be a has been..." 😂

Any other suggestions?!

Lol that's what I was thinking when I read the thread title - but there's loads of PSA road safety ads!

Can't hear Body To Body without hearing clunking heads.

I was knocked down (without injury) on a pavement once and all I could think of was that ad with the kissing couple who got pinned to the wall.

They were grim but pretty effective. Like tiny horror films. I can still remember the spirit of dark and lonely water, avoiding railway lines, power stations, chip fires, flammable chairs and cigarettes, and stranger danger.

Modern life has eliminated a lot of these issues but is pretty light on dangers of the virtual world and social media. This is particularly bad for children and young people.

OMG - I've just gone and watched Apaches because it didn't ring a bell with me, and I remember most of the 1970s films. I'm certain I never watched that - and I wonder how I missed it because I was 12 and grew up on a farm!

We were aware of the dangers of all that stuff, certainly. It was drummed into us. I wonder how I never saw the film though. Was it shown on tv?

@sashh "don't boil a kettle on a boat"
😂😂😂

Omg! That is unreal! And quite niche!

The thing with is was that we all either lived on or by a farm. I lived opposite a farm and both my granddads were farmers!

Scary enough for anyone but worse when you went to a farm all the time.

Polish a floor and put a rug on it - you might as well set a mantrap.

My favourite one!

Nothing will ever beat this one for me

We'd have to re-cast Rolf in the water safety ones though.

Not to mention Savile in the "always wear a seat belt" ones.

The water ones still scare me. I swim outdoors in rivers and a safe reservoir and lakes, none of which have cars/trolleys/wires in and I STILL am "oh god there might be a metal trap under my legs"

I think those graphic road accident ones or the weeping mothers only serve to traumatise those who have been in accidents. People who speed or drink drive don't give a shit, it should be ones about I had to go to prison because of this, I lost my job and trade etc. They need to personalise it from the drivers perspective I think.

I remember in Ireland there were terrifying ones in the 80s. A dog who went out and joined a pack and savaged farm animals, his transformation was so scary. A farm safety one showing a child falling into an open barrel of water, someone falling into a slurry pit too I think. I also remember a flammable clothing one where a child in a nightdress was standing beside an open fire. They worked, it put the fear of God in us all!

Definitely! I've said this for years!

Put them on TikTok.

Don't take camp stoves into tents to keep warm.

Don't walk home drunk near open water

The railway safety one where a school holds a sports day on the train tracks was gruesome! I still remember it vividly and have mild anxiety near railway lines!!

OP, I had this conversation with my son while I was showing him some from our day on YouTube.

I was all for them coming back until he reminded me that very few people watch mainstream television these days. Especially young people.

I suppose the only place you could show them to a target audience would be the cinema.

You can’t beat this banger from HEBS

😄

"Charlie says don't stuff stickle bricks up your arse"

My Dad worked at the COI in Public Information! It was rumoured a few Spooks worked there as cover jobs. Hmmmm🤔. Dad worked on the Clunk Click ads. He said Jimmy Savile was a nice bloke😲. I'm glad he retired before it was closed down.

That's an easy fix. Put them on Youtube and Facebook and other social media and Spotify, Netflix, Sky, Virgin, etc etc.

No one watches TV adverts anyway as they just record and fast forward these days which is probably why they were stopped a few decades ago which seemed to coincide with video recorders!

As for cost, it could be done very cheaply if it was made as some kind of quid pro quo for online platforms being allowed to operate in the UK under licence or whatever. Ultimately, there'll have to be some kind of "per click" tax imposed on internet firms as traditional taxes become less relevant in the global economy, so online adverts of PSAs could be a way for internet firms to reduce their "per click" taxes or avoid them altogether.

This one terrified me as a kid

Thee was the 'don't be a space invader' one recently re roads

These were a couple of favourites of mine growing up. Powerful messages with a touch of humour - I can still remember all the words fifty years later..... .

I've just discovered a new one. Apparently it was shown in cinemas, it is not for the faint hearted.

Before watching have a read https://pif.fandom.com/wiki/Southwark_Council_-_Sunday_Lunch

Oh and just to go off topic, who has fish fingers for Sunday lunch?

@sunlovingcriminal i agree, can't bear bloody tail gaiting. Cinema, streaming etc good places.

This one is so well done.