Puffed up faces and bruised bodies: this is what the NZTA (New Zealand's road safety organisation) has decided to show in its latest photograph campaign, which has been displayed across the country since February. Shocking photographs show ten men from around the country, shirtless with tell-tale bruising across their chests, and aims to raise awareness among drivers of the importance of wearing a seatbelt.
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As the NZTA explains on their website, putting on a seat belt increases the chances of survival in a collision by 40%. ‘The seat belt is not an option’ and ‘it is a device that is worth it’ because it saves lives, says the organisation.
To create this campaign, the NZTA used former road accident victims, both drivers and passengers. But don’t worry: the injuries of these 10 survivors were actually recreated using makeup, by a local company specialising in special effects. The team worked with emergency medicine specialist Dr Natasha McKay, leaning on her expertise in the area.
‘Their injuries vary, but all ten are united by the mark of their seatbelt: a short-term physical bruise, or sometimes a scar, that has had a long-lasting impact on their lives. A physical reminder that they made the right call to wear a seatbelt and survived because of it. A seat belt really does leave a mark like this. They will save your life, but they will leave a mark to show how they've done it.’ The NZTA says the campaign started with a public call-out to find real Kiwi men with their own stories of survival, thanks to a seatbelt.
