The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in Victoria, Australia, has unveiled a powerful series of online adverts to encourage Victorians to make safer choices on the roads this festive season.

With Christmas and the summer holidays presenting a busy, high-risk time on Victorian roads, the TAC says it is critical that the community rallies behind road safety across the festive season and into the New Year.

To encourage this TAC has created three social media adverts that depict the reactions of a grandmother, father and mother when they receive the tragic news that a loved one has been killed in a road crash. The online ads are based on the TAC’s existing ‘Knocking on Doors’ campaign, which Victorians are also seeing on their TV screens in the lead up to Christmas.

The aim of the campaign is to urge Victorians to think about their loved ones and the ripple effect of the choices they make on the roads.

“This campaign lays bare the awfully sad moment that more than 250 families have faced this year as a result of the death of a loved one on Victorian roads,” said Minister for Roads and Minister for Road Safety and the TAC, Jaala Pulford. “The holiday season is about spending time with our loved ones, not grieving in their absence, and we do not accept that any family should be confronted with a tragic door knock this Christmas.”

Last year, 14 people died on Victorian roads from the start of December to Christmas Day, and another three people lost their lives between Christmas and the New Year.

So far in 2019, 257 people have lost their lives on Victorian roads, including 11 people already killed in December.

Throughout the Christmas holidays the TAC will have a strong presence across the state, including an interactive display that asks people to make a safety pledge ahead of Christmas. TAC road safety teams will also be at more than 50 regional events, including festivals and race meetings, providing safe driving advice, free breath tests, giveaways and more in a bid to curb the number of people being killed on country roads.

“It’s critical that we all make safe choices this Christmas and that includes slowing down, putting our phones away and avoiding drowsy driving and drink driving – the best gift we can give our loved ones is just to be there,” said Transport Accident Commission CEO, Joe Calafiore.