Julie (public information film)

"Julie" is the title of a British public information film (PIF) about the importance of wearing a seatbelt in the rear of a car. It ran on national television between 1998 and 2003, and was so successful it was also shown in France.

The 60 - second PIF shows a middle aged woman, Julie, driving her teenage son and daughter to school in a red Vauxhall Cavalier MK3. She and her daughter are wearing their seatbelts, but the young boy is not. A voiceover announces "Like most victims, Julie knew her killer." On the screen, we see Julie is so concerned with trying to avoid a van which appears to be following her that she's not concentrating on the road ahead, and she crashes into a parked car by the side of the road. Her son, who is sitting directly behind her, is thrown forward, killing her instantly as her skull is smashed in by his weight. The film ends as we see her lifeless body slumped across the wheel and hear the horrified screams of her daughter in the front passenger seat.

It originally carried the slogan "Belt up in the back. For everyone's sake." and later "Think! Always wear a seatbelt."

Since 5 November 2007, Think! have begun airing the PIF in a shorter, 30 second advert. It was chosen over the "Backwards" campaign due to the fact it carried a more meaningful message for the rear-seat passengers to wear their seatbelts.

External links

* [http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/seatbelts/archive.htm Link to the Julie PIF]