New TAC Campaign Urges Regional Community to Wipe off 5

03 Aug 2013

The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is sharing the Wipe off 5 message directly with regional Victorians as part of its new low-level speeding campaign.

The Wipe off 5 slogan has been brought to life as giant, 3D letters and will be taken to towns and cities around Victoria over the next two weeks.

The regional visits will give locals the chance to sign their name on the giant letters to show their commitment to reducing low-level speeding.

TAC CEO Janet Dore urged regional Victorians to back the campaign which will help save lives.

“About 100 hundred people die on our roads every year in crashes where speed was a contributing factor and this is just not acceptable,” Ms Dore said.

“We’re asking all of you to take an active role in helping us drive down the road toll and one way you can do this is by sticking to the speed limit.”

The roadshow is just part of the TAC’s latest campaign, with a community competition also underway where Victorians can win $5,000 for their most creative ideas of how to Wipe off 5.

It’s the first time the TAC is asking Victorians to take an active role in one of their campaigns, by showing how they will Wipe off 5 and sharing their ideas on social media.

With five $5000 prizes on offer for the best ideas, the TAC wants Victorians to come up with the most creative way to articulate the Wipe off 5 message in their daily life and share it online at www.wipeoff5.com.au or on Twitter or Instagram with #wipeoff5.

Whether it’s football clubs wiping off the number 5 from one of their player’s backs’, gym instructors wiping off 5 minutes from their classes or school kids wiping off the number 5 from their maths display, Ms Dore said the brief required just one thing: creativity.

“We want every Victorian to come up with a way they can represent the Wipe off 5 message,” Ms Dore said.

“Leaving the house five minutes earlier, to ensure you aren’t rushing on your way to work, could be one way to help you avoid the temptation to speed.”

Advertisements featuring famous AFL number 5’s, Chris Judd and Nick Maxwell will give Victorians some inspiration for their competition entries. 

At the end of Wipe off 5 month, one winner will be awarded in each of the following categories: best individual, best group, best sporting club, best workplace, and best school entry.

“We know many drivers and riders travel just a few kilometres over the limit, but if every Victorian stuck to the speed limit less people would die on our roads,” Ms Dore said.

“Travelling just five km over the limit in a 60 km/h zone doubles your risk of crashing.

“Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy highlights a concerted effort by all road safety partners to involve the community in the fight against road trauma.

“We believe that our long-term vision to have nobody killed or seriously injured on our roads is achievable.

“But, we cannot achieve it without the full support of the community and that means every single Victorian taking ownership of the road safety issue,” Ms Dore said.

The campaign will culminate in a weekend of road safety-related activities at football matches across Victoria from 22-25 August.

The television commercials featuring famous number 5’s, Judd and Maxwell, aim to increase the community’s awareness of the Wipe off 5 message. The ads will air from Monday, 5 August.

Entries for the competition, which opens today and closes on 31 August, will be published online at www.wipeoff5.com.au