Who: ICBC, with Palmer Stamnes DDB and Good Idea for production (directed by Ross Allen), with iProspect for media.

What: “Speed campaign 2021,” a new month-long awareness effort to get B.C. drivers to slow down.

When & Where: The ads debuted on May 10, and are running through May 30 on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Why: Every May, the ICBC and provincial police team up to launch a speed education and awareness campaign reminding drivers of the consequences of driving too fast. Speed is the single-biggest factor in car crash fatalities in the province, with 81 people killed each year in speed-related accidents.

The goal is to get the province’s drivers to slow down, with ICBC saying that a one kilometre per hour increase in speed results in a 3% increase in crashes resulting in injury, and a 4-5% increase for fatal crashes.

How: The ads use a fast format, in this case 15-second ads, to humorously depict the negative impact of excessive speed. Both open on a clock counting down and people ready to spring into action. They are then shown hastily assembling a desk and a tent, with predictably terrible results. The accompanying super reads “When you go too fast, you make mistakes.”

“It features scenarios where you’d never do these activities racing against a clock in real life, in order to show that when you’re going fast it’s easy to make mistakes and the results might not be what you hope for,” said Danny Nguyen, manager, marketing programs and strategy for the ICBC. “These scenarios were chosen as relatable scenes to our target audience, and used as a parallel comparison to driving fast.”

And we quote: “Speeding really doesn’t get you there any faster, but increases your chances of crashing. When you slow down, you see more of the road and have more time to react to the unexpected. We can all do our part by slowing down to make our roads safer and save lives.” — Lindsay Matthews, vice-president of public affairs and driver licensing, ICBC