Highway Code Advert.
The Highway Code is an essential guide for every road user, but awareness of recent changes remains low among experienced drivers. To address this, Co-Pilot has developed an innovative, research-backed campaign to ensure these updates are understood and adopted, particularly by drivers aged 50 and over. Featuring the distinctive voice of Martin Clunes, the campaign delivers a compelling, accessible, and engaging message about safety and responsibility on the roads.
Meeting a need
Research conducted by Co-Pilot revealed that awareness of key Highway Code changes is inconsistent. Updates introduced in 2022, including the hierarchy of road users and the priority of vulnerable groups, remain unfamiliar to many experienced drivers. In fact, Department for Transport findings indicate that while awareness has improved since the changes were introduced, only 42% of road users consistently give pedestrians priority at junctions.
Co-Pilot’s campaign directly addresses these gaps by simplifying complex rules and delivering them in an engaging format. Our use of the COM-B Behaviour Change Wheel ensures that the intervention targets drivers’ capability, opportunity, and motivation to improve their road behaviour.
The campaign at a glance
At the heart of the campaign is a visually engaging film, narrated by Martin Clunes, whose warm and relatable tone resonates strongly with the target audience. The ad uses humour, exaggerated characters, and a clever twist to illustrate the hierarchy of road users, driving home the importance of looking out for others. Clear visuals demonstrate:
Pedestrian priority: Drivers must give way to pedestrians at junctions, reinforcing safer crossings.
Cyclist priority: When turning, drivers are required to let cyclists pass, ensuring their right of way.
Safe overtaking: Drivers must leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists and more when passing horses or pedestrians.
Evidence-based design
This campaign is not just another road safety message – it’s a meticulously planned intervention built on a foundation of behavioural science and target audience insights. Co-Pilot conducted focus groups and surveys to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and barriers drivers face in adopting the new rules. Key findings informed the creative approach:
Empathy and relatability: Drivers are more likely to engage with messaging that highlights their role in protecting vulnerable road users.
Memorability: By combining humour with clear examples of correct behaviours, the campaign makes the new rules easier to recall and adopt.
Barriers to change: The intervention addresses challenges like ingrained habits, limited knowledge, and lack of social norms, encouraging a shift toward positive behaviour.
Comprehensive intervention plan
The Highway Code campaign is rooted in the COM-B model, ensuring that behaviour change is achievable through enhanced capability, opportunity, and motivation. Focused on experienced drivers, the intervention tackles gaps in awareness of the 2022 rule changes, such as pedestrian priority at junctions and the hierarchy of road users.
Psychological capability is addressed by presenting the rules in clear, memorable ways. Through relatable scenarios and the warm narration of Martin Clunes, the campaign helps drivers understand and recall the changes. Physical and social opportunities are created by showcasing correct behaviours in realistic contexts, reinforcing the cultural shift toward prioritising vulnerable road users.
Motivation is key to the campaign’s success. It encourages drivers to view themselves as role models, reframing adherence to the rules as both socially valuable and personally rewarding. By pairing humour with practical guidance, the intervention replaces outdated habits with positive associations and actionable behaviours.
This evidence-based approach ensures drivers are not only informed but empowered to share the responsibility of safer roads, making the campaign a critical tool for lasting change.
Why choose this campaign?
Co-Pilot’s Highway Code campaign offers a unique opportunity for organisations to amplify their road safety messaging:
Credibility and expertise: Rooted in robust research and delivered by a trusted voice, this campaign has been designed to drive meaningful change.
Cost-effective: For just £950 per year, organisations can licence their own branded version of the campaign.
Versatile deployment: Whether used as a standalone tool or alongside other initiatives, the campaign complements existing efforts, such as THINK!’s ‘Travel Like You Know Them’ campaign.
The campaign’s central theme is simple yet powerful: “Journeys are smoother when we look out for each other.” It reminds all road users that small changes in behaviour – pausing to let a pedestrian cross, giving cyclists the space they need – can make a world of difference.