So, we decided to convince drivers to slow down by teaming up with someone they would surely listen to. Their kids.

“Mr. Bear Driver” is a fun mobile game that teaches kids traffic safety which quickly got to number 1 in Romanian app stores.

But people had no idea that there was a catch…

When played in a moving car, the game connects to GPS and Google Maps to track the real-life speed. If the limit is exceeded by more than 10km/h, Mr. Bear (the in-game character) asks children to tell mommy or daddy to slow down. If drivers don’t slow down, the game ends in a crash. If they comply, players get bonuses and the game continues.

This way, little passengers became safety copilots and learn in real life that speeding is a big no-no.

After a teasing phase and a content campaign on social media, the game was launched in the second part of summer holidays in Romania.

The game was launched together with Orange and is featured on Orange’s Junior web section. It also comes preinstalled on Orange Junior devices destined for kids.

The game was launched for free, nationwide, on App Store and Google Play and is still available on both platforms.

TV prime time news and online media picked up the message and created a national conversation about children’s safety.

- Over 12.000 slowdowns recorded and counting. 

- 680.000 EUR earned media

- The game is also implemented in Portugal by through the “Automovel Club de Portugal” (Automobile Club of Portugal) with the name of “Boris o Condutor” and in Latvia, by LAMB Autoklub (The Automobil Klub of Slovenia) as “Soferis Laka Kungs”.

- We are in advanced talks to implement the game in Australia with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. 

- We are also in advanced talks to implement the game in New Zealand with the New Zealand Transport Authority.

- The game is also on its way to other European countries, through national automobile clubs.  

We used a medium familiar to children, smartphones and tablets, in a surprising way: we created a mobile game that is GPS and Google Maps enabled and tells kids playing the game in the backseat of a moving when legal speed has been exceeded. Then, it asks the kids to tell drivers to slow down immediately.

In order to convince drivers to slow down and drive safer, we targeted them not directly, but through their kids.

So we conveyed our road safety message right on kids’ favorite toys nowadays, where it could have a real impact: within a game for smartphones and tablets.

The novelty of the idea ensured large coverage by national prime time TV News and online media, starting a nationwide conversation about children’s’ safety on the road.

The call-to-action occurs directly in the kids and their smartphones relationship. The in-game character speaks to kids every time legal speed is exceeded and tells them directly to ask their parent driver to slow down.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is a global supporter of children’s safety on the road, acting in each country through national automobile clubs.

In 2016, within the global “FIA ROAD SAFETY GRANT PROGRAMME”, the Automobile Club of Romania (ACR) wanted to create a campaign that will actually make drivers slow down and that will also push children’s road safety on top of the public agenda. The project would be implemented within their “Junior Copilot” road safety initiative.

Problem? Traditional anti-speeding PSA’s and news go unnoticed by most of the drivers.