Christmas is the most dangerous time on Victorian roads. By the end of November 2013, 212 people had already lost their lives. We needed to remind Victorians to drive safely during the Christmas period.

We created an installation of all the gifts that would not be given to those who had already lost their lives on Victoria’s roads. Each gift was sprayed a ghostly white to highlight this overwhelming sense of loss. Behind each gift was a story of a life lost. People left written tributes at the installation, and thousands of messages encouraging one another to drive safely were shared online.

The installation was quick to gain media and PR attention, placed in the centre of Melbourne’s CBD during the peak of Christmas shopping. The live exhibition was broadcast on national news stations, as well as radio. Several stories behind each of the gifts were published in the press, interviewing the family and friends of those who lost their lives in previous years. The physical installation encouraged people to share the story online via instagram, Facebook and twitter, under the #ungivengifts hashtag. These images would later find their way onto hundreds of online blogs, continuing to spread the message of safe driving throughout the holiday season.

The live exhibition was placed on the steps of the state library, being the centre of the CBD at the peak of Christmas shopping for a total of three days. It was broadcasted on national news stations, as well as radio. By spraying 212 gifts representing the road toll a ghostly white, we not only created a visually intriguing installation, but one that moved people to change their driving behaviour over the Christmas period. People added stories to the installation of loved ones lost, many of which were published online to stress the importance of driving safely. Sadly, four gifts were added to the plinths over the campaign period, a confronting reminder of how real this issue is at the most sentimental and equally dangerous time of the year.

Photos and messages from the installation were shared online to accumulate a total reach of 1.1 million people, spreading the message of safe driving on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and creativity blogs.

Traditional media and PR gave the campaign an additional reach of 2.4 million.

At the end of December, Victoria had its lowest road toll in 90 years.