Audi is an innovative brand that always puts the driver in the center. They truly care about the drivers’ safety and that’s why they have continued to present new innovations that have made the life on the road safer. Our brief was to bring this story to life and at the same time bring new life to their tag line vorsprung durch technik. We decided to tackle one of the most vital behaviors on the roads – drivers who are using their cell phones. It’s a huge issue that causes millions of accidents each year. And since people nowadays are addicted to their smartphones, existing solutions that depend on the user to download apps or install hardware don't have much impact. The obvious solution would be to put the phone in flight mode or hide it in the glove compartment. But unfortunately, people don’t behave like that.

Since people who use their phone while driving doesn’t seem to listen, we decided to try a new kind of solution. Instead of approaching the drivers, we reached out to the websites and apps that the drivers are using. And that’s why we created Safety Code. A new free code that apps and websites could use to stop people from using their phone while driving. When people use an app or a website that has implemented Safety Code, the script analyses the visitors’ GPS position to determine if they are driving. If they are moving over 20 km/h, the content will be blocked and the visitors will need to confirm they aren’t the driver to continue to use their phone.

Instead of targeting the drivers, we reached out to the apps and sites that the drivers are using. By providing them with this simple tool, we gave them a simple way to help out to make to roads safer. With Safety Code, Audi is able to reach a highly relevant target group at a time when they are exposing themselves, other drivers and pedestrians to danger. We do not only reach Audi drivers but all drivers who visit a site or us an app that have implemented Safety Code. Since Audi is the developer behind the code, developers that use the code are helping Audi to spread the message. Audi becomes the brand that encourages people to stop using their phone while driving.

The code was first implemented and launched on Audi Sweden’s website Audi.se in December 2017, just before the heavy Christmas traffic. At the same time, we released the code at safetycode.se/eng and invited developers to copy and implement the code on their websites or in their app. To spread the word we used a traditional PR campaign and a short online film that we shared with news sites and developers who were happy to write about the project. But the project has just started. Safety Code has only been live for three months and is an ongoing project and campaign that gets bigger for every day. In just the first three months, the code has been activated over 1.1 million times. At the moment, we’re expanding the project by developing a version for Android apps.