There’s never been so much discussion of our mental health. But in Australia there was one place where we weren’t talking about the psychological impact of an accident or incident. The road.

There were two problems at play; People weren’t acknowledging or seeking help for the psychological trauma that they were suffering after an incident, and when they did return to the road other drivers had no idea they were still experiencing it. We needed to develop an idea to overcome these issues.

Few other automotive companies had considered the issue, so mycar Tyre & Auto - with their brand platform ‘people first’ - were perfectly positioned to lead the conversation.

To highlight the importance of supporting those recovering from road trauma, and to help Australians get back behind the wheel with more confidence we created R (Return) plates.

A physical plate to recognise drivers returning to the road after a traumatic road incident.

The plate itself became a brand experience on and off the road - as well as highlighting an unseen problem in society, we were able to create a national conversation around psychological road trauma.

Within 48 hours we had run out of plates (ordered through the mycar website), and every plate connected users with psychological support.

The R Plate asks people to consider their behaviour toward other road users in the moment and encourages society to have empathy for those returning to the road - ultimately changing a nation’s driving experience for the better and truly demonstrating mycar’s brand purpose ‘People first’.

It wasn’t enough to explain the concept of a new Plate, we had a job to do to convince people that the trauma was widespread and then to normalise the use of the plates.

Launching in the run-up to World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2022 we secured exclusives across a range of publications including automotive and lifestyle as well as broadcast news.

Coverage exploded and conversation carried from broadcast into social channels. Interactive polls, YouTube creators and other social media commentators all weighed in on the impact of the plate.

Critical to the success of the campaign were the physical plates and the longform film of real stories supplied to the media.

Road trauma expert, Dr Jason Thompson, added credibility to a complex issue. “ It is a huge burden that Australia carries, it's an issue we can do something about and this campaign is a great start."

The PR launch was supported with emotional film showing how it feels to return to the road, while long-form films of real stories allowed people to deeply engage with an individual’s experiences.

Paid social and digital media created conversations that bleed back into Broadcast media.

All assets led to the mycar website - where people could learn more about the psychological impact of road trauma, explore real stories, download their own plate and seek professional help.

QR codes on the plate connected drivers to psychological support services, while the physical plate itself communicates the issue in real time where it matters, on the road.

The R plate didn’t just create a cultural moment for the mycar brand, it asked people to consider their attitudes and behaviours to other road users and encouraged empathy for those returning to the road, ultimately demonstrating ‘People first’ in a very real way.

522 pieces of coverage with a reach of 239 million, effectively hitting every person in Australia nine times.

Earned and social sparked a national conversation - on TikTok alone, dozens of UGC posts attracted nearly 5 million views with a 10.9% engagement rate.

mycar website traffic was up 56%, and R Plates available for order ran out in the first 48 hours.

Australia's leading insurer and leading car sales platforms have shown support, and following the initial launch, we have engaged leaders across the industry to publicly support R Plates.

In addition, 26% of Australians say that the R Plate would have helped them as they returned to the road after an incident.

R Plates created a cultural moment for mycar, demonstrating ‘people first’ in a very real way, and it shone the light on a societal problem that’s seldom spoken about and goes largely unseen.