We see a father, his son, and young daughter enjoying a family trip and exploring a field of boulders.

Cut to them driving home and making casual conversation. As they head around a sweeping corner they’re inexplicably met with a toll booth, barrier arm down, across the road.

Strange.

As Dad pulls up to the booth he’s greeted by an unsettling woman.

“Hey, err what’s this?” asks Dad.

“A toll” she replies offhandedly.

Reaching for his wallet Dad asks; “OK. How much?”

The woman leans in and sees the girl in the back… “Just the little one today.”

Dad’s confusion melts into dread and we’re thrust into an uneasy flashback.

End with Dad on the roadside, struggling to hold it together, as the loss of his daughter takes hold.

Endframe:

It’s time we stopped paying the road toll.

We have a vision to reach zero deaths by 2050.

Logos

In New Zealand we refer to the people who are killed in crashes as our 'road toll', as if their lives and limbs are the price we're all willing to pay to use our roads. The Road Toll is something we hear in the media during the holiday spikes of the year, almost like the weather forecast. We’ve become immune to it. We accept it.

This film aims to disrupt that mindset and launch Road To Zero - Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Authority's bold 30 year plan to reach zero deaths on NZ roads. Road to Zero is guided by the Safe System approach which remains the international gold standard in road safety.

Open on a father, his teenage son, and young daughter enjoying a family trip and exploring a field of boulders.

Cut to the family driving home and making casual conversation. The daughter dozes off in the back and the son asks his Dad a riddle; “What is always in front of you but can be seen? ...The future.”

As they head around a sweeping corner they’re suddenly and inexplicably met with an outdated toll booth, barrier arm down, across the road.

A toll booth in the middle of nowhere? Strange.

Nevertheless, Dad pulls up to the booth and winds down his window. He’s greeted by an odd and unsettling woman who looks almost like she’s from another era.

“Hey, err what’s this?” asks Dad.

“A toll” she replies offhandedly like a worker who’s been in a job too long.

Reaching for his wallet Dad asks; “OK. How much?”

The woman leans in and sees the girl in the back… “Just the little one today.”

Dad’s confusion melts into dread and we’re thrust into an uneasy and non-linear flashback. It takes his son to snap him out of it “DAD!”

He’s brought crashing back to reality, on the side of the road, struggling to hold it together as the sickening realisation he’s lost his little girl takes hold.

Endframe titles:

It’s time we stopped paying the road toll.

We have a vision to reach zero deaths by 2050.