86 % of Czech drivers are regularly speeding. The problem of this deeply ingrained cultural problem responsible for 40 % of fatal car accidents is that nobody wants to talk about it. Research confirmed that Czechs avoid this taboo, diminishing the role of speeding in accidents and pointing out other reasons. Years of PSAs falling on deaf ears resulted in nothing but more and more unnecessary deaths on the roads. As a leading voice in road safety, CAP, the Czech Association of Insurers, needed to change this situation radically. Create broader public debate, raise awareness about the phenomenon, and change the mindset in Czech society to slow it down.

We needed to create a topic more relevant to modern society. The Czech Republic, in 20 years, transformed from post-communist into a rapidly emerging country. People need to be more dynamic and high-performing than ever before. Time is valuable commodity, and Czechs are speeding simply to catch it up. But although on the road, time and speeding are closely related, in conversation, it's quite the opposite. Speeding is a taboo Czechs try to avoid while time is part of every conversation. The idea, therefore, was a study of time trade. Where is our time going, where do we lose it, and most importantly, why do we make up for it in our cars? We discovered time people save by speeding on the longest and busiest road in the country is only 13 minutes, while the risk of a fatal accident grows exponentially. We show how worthless this trade is.

As speeding is not domain of a small group of people but large majority of population the main strategy of the campaign was to deliver the matter for thinking for the widest possible population, regardless of age or social group. We’ve had to change behavior that’s deeply ingrained in the fabric of how the Czechs drive. The perspective was therefore not focused on the tragic stories of the victims – a minority, difficult to identify with. Instead we’ve focused on people who are victims of their own mistake. The aim was to show immersive experience of what it’s like for ordinary driver to live with the label of the culprit of a tragic car accident. A risk that Czech drivers recklessly take every day when trying to make up for the lost time in car. Message of this magnitude cannot be delivered by 30s commercial but much bigger tool.

The primary tool and center of the campaign was a high production value; a full-featured documentary called 13 MINUTES. Filmed by renowned director Vít Klusák, it meticulously recreated five speeding accidents through stories of ordinary drivers who tried to save less than 13 minutes on the road and became culprits for the rest of their lives. Integrated campaign had its prelude in publicity stunt week before the premiere showing an accident of two speeding cars hitting a stroller. Video went viral and reached the whole country from TV, news portals, and social networks through influencers. Following reveals it created soil for the documentary by establishing intended discussion and confirming that Czechs tend to excuse speeding at the expense of other accident reasons. Premiere was promoted by massive TV and radio campaign, series of unique movie posters crafted by famous studio Automobilist, followed by series of roadshow events and school

13 MINUTES became cultural phenomenon inspiring songs and even a book. Unique campaign reached 44 % of population. Documentary was seen by millions of viewers and more will follow as other European and Asian countries already bought rights for broadcasting. After the start of the campaign in May, according to research 28 % of drivers immediately slowed down and the number of accidents from speeding dropped by 20% saving number of human lives. Despite a significant year-on-year increase in all accident categories speeding keeps down by 9 % up until April 2022. The campaign continues not only in HBO Max streaming service and social media but also directly on the driving frontline as documentary was chosen by Driving school association of Czech Republic as intended official studying material to grow generation of more conscious drivers.