More people are using today’s roads – on two and four wheels – all vying for the same space, leading to tension and accidents. Automaker Ford created WheelSwap, an immersive empathy experience to help make roads safer. One participant said, “I always thought my behaviour was the best, but the WheelSwap experience made me understand the risks that cyclists face every day. It made me more conscious and I’ll be more careful now.”

Cyclists and drivers experienced an on-the-road simulation through virtual reality. We began in five cities before integrating into Ford’s Driving Skills for Life programme then going global.

With nearly 300 million cars and over 250 million bicycles on European roads today, critical accidents are an all-too frequent sight. It’s a horrifying fact that in the UK alone, cyclists account for 1 in 12 of all road accident fatalities. Cities around the world are actively promoting cycling and its proven benefits to health, air quality and congestion. However, safety remains a major deterrent. Infrastructure and cycling lanes are not keeping pace with urban growth – behaviour needs to change, too.

Our objectives included:

- Creating a powerful experience to encourage safer behaviour, driving at least 50% behaviour change vs. baseline.

- Reflecting the realities of urban roads, without bias.

- Ensuring the idea was simple, scaleable and could transcend country differences.

- Raising awareness of Ford’s Share the Road Campaign with at least 50 million PR reach (for phase one, May – Sept 2018).

When it comes to creating safer roads for both drivers and cyclists, Ford knew that a traditional awareness campaign wouldn’t work – the automaker needed a game-changing transformative experience. Ford invited motorists and cyclists to Share the Road using the age-old approach of “walk a mile in my shoes,” but this time it was on wheels with a high-tech twist.

As a champion for all mobility types, Ford created the WheelSwap VR experience, combining behavioural science insights with cutting-edge VR technology. WheelSwap is an innovative approach designed to inspire empathy and inspire safer behaviour; cyclists become drivers, virtually feeling what it is like for drivers when they jump red lights, cycle down one-way streets the wrong way and swerve unexpectedly; drivers become cyclists, feeling the fear of being overtaken too closely, swerving without indicating and opening car doors without checking for bikes.

We had two camps of people: cyclists and drivers, each perceiving a hierarchy on the road and blaming the other for hazards.

We needed a powerful way to influence road behaviours. Motorists and cyclists would, in the safe environment of our VR experience, experience the danger and emotions of sharing the road in the face of inconsiderate behaviour.

Behavioural scientists confirmed that VR is a proven “empathy machine,” fostering understanding and overcoming animosity, so we created WheelSwap to prove the technology’s impact for both cyclists and motorists.

By “swapping” roles, the two groups would see the other side’s challenges. A Ford safety card also showed how we can all be safer road users. The goal was for participants to carry this empathy onto the real-world roads. We then leveraged Ford’s ability as a leading automaker to reach millions of motorists globally, driving scale through our marketing, PR, events and partnerships.

The “WheelSwap” VR was the cornerstone of Ford’s Share the Road campaign. The behavioural science team applied approaches from proven academic research in this area. We then followed up to understand if behaviour change was sustained.

WheelSwap was then taken to major international events sure to reach motorists and cyclists – including Tour de France, Goodwood and Le Mans.

The campaign was launched to European media with a panel discussion hosted by cycling advocate and BBC journalist Jeremy Vine, featuring different perspectives in the Cyclist/Motorist divide, supported by Ford’s long-term pro-cycling partners, Team Sky.

Ford also distributed tips from safety experts and encouraged road-users to pledge their support via Facebook profile frame and Share the Road car/bike stickers.

Over 1,200 people took part in an initial study across five European countries. 70% of those who experienced “WheelSwap” displayed greater empathy to their driving and cycling counterparts after using it, compared with those who had not; 91% planned to change their on-road habits; 60% changed their behaviour two weeks after “WheelSwap.”

Through PR, Share the Road campaign including WheelSwap reached 732 million people through earned media, with 287 pieces of coverage, 75,000 engagements across all platforms and a social reach of 1.7 million.

“WheelSwap” exemplified successful cross-platform native content integration. Ford has over 7,000 site-visits as a result of this brand experience. “WheelSwap” was communicated to over 50,000 Ford of Europe employees and at events like Ford’s Driving Skills For Life, Le Mans, and Goodwood, demonstrating this campaign’s internal and external strengths. We have distributed over 200,000 Ford Safety Cards and Share The Road merchandise promoting safer behaviour.