Wipe off 5 is an example of how creativity can harness a community to change behavior and save lives.

Speeding continues to be the biggest killer on public roads in Victoria, Australia. And whilst excessive speeding is now seen as dangerous and unacceptable, low-level speeding (up to 10km/h over the speed limit) was seen as a lesser evil.

The reality however is that the risk of being involved in a fatal accident doubles with each 5km/h increase above the speed of 60km/h. And by reducing vehicle speed by just 5km/h the risk of serious injury or death is reduced by half and as many as 95 lives can be saved and 1300 serious injuries prevented in one year.

Our challenge. How do we discourage low-level speeding when most people do it and have never had an accident?

In order to override the personal overconfidence of most drivers we needed to change what people considered to be the social norm. We needed to create the undeniable sense that driving slower was what everybody expected of them.

The creative came to life in four parts.

1. Leverage a cultural icon to shift cultural norms. - To re-ignite the campaign we staged a world first at the MCG with the removal of the ‘5’ from the famous 50-metre goal kicking line (arc). The activation drew mass attention to the campaign, encouraging thousands of Victorians to get involved.

2. Turn Sporting Heroes into Road Safety Ambassadors - Clubs and the biggest stars wiped the number 5 off their own team jumpers, and encouraged Victorians to get behind the movement. TV, Outdoor and radio were used to create reach and visibility.

3. Turn an advertising message into a movement - Through partnership with media, businesses and local communities, we insistently amplified the “Wipe Off 5” message.

4. Use social media and grass roots to give voice to the community - By tapping into cultural icons, sporting heroes and well-known community businesses, we continued to feed the movement.

The Results.

By the end of 2013, Victoria recorded its lowest road toll since 1924. Dropping the death toll from 282 in 2012 to 242 in 2013.

Victorians drove slower with 31,000 fewer speeding fines issued compared to the previous year. And more Victorians than ever before understand speeding as anything up to 5kms over the speed limit, from 75% to 88% year on year.