The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) is launching a new shocking advertising campaign as the summer holidays approach. This time she focuses on “zombies” at the wheel, in reference to the dozens of deaths occurring each year due to fatigue affecting driving.
“Don’t drive half dead. Stop before fatigue stops you. » This is the central message of the new SAAQ campaign, which features zombie characters getting behind the wheel of a car.
In addition to a thirty-second video capsule, audio messages will be broadcast on the airwaves from June 17 to July 14.
Several educational contents are also planned, including an interactive sheet on the warning signs of fatigue while driving, which most often results in a much slower reaction time. If tired, motorists are advised to stop in a safe place to take a nap, or to pass the wheel to another person.
The phenomenon is ultimately responsible for almost a quarter of fatal accidents. “The effects it can have on driving should not be underestimated. At the first signs of fatigue, we must stop to rest,” SAAQ CEO Éric Ducharme argued on Monday.
According to his group, the drivers most at risk of falling asleep at the wheel are those of heavy vehicles, users under 30 or 55 and over, as well as workers with “irregular hours” or night shifts. People suffering from an undiagnosed sleep disorder are also included.
A study carried out at the turn of the 2000s by the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, revealed that driving with between 17 and 19 consecutive hours of wakefulness is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 50 mg. /100ml (0.05). After 24 hours of wakefulness, this figure would theoretically return to 100 mg/100 ml, the equivalent of 0.10, exceeding the legal limit in this regard in Quebec.
“Everyone is at risk of feeling fatigued while driving. This is why you need to plan your journeys to take breaks and limit risks. Relay villages as well as roadside rest areas, in particular, allow you to stop in a safe place,” recalled the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, in a statement.