The Transport Accident Commission has launched the ‘Check Your Gear Before You Hit the Road’ campaign via Clemenger BBDO.
The campaign is designed to help motorcycle riders discover how safe their gear really is, before the road does it for them.
At the centre of the campaign is the Shredmill Road Surface Simulator, a life-sized treadmill made from abrasive grit belt, designed to demonstrate how motorcycle gear varies in protective qualities. By putting gear with different MotoCAP ratings to the test, the Shredmill visually shows how long each item lasts when it comes into contact with the road surface.
Developed with independent motorcycle clothing safety program MotoCAP, The Shredmill scales up the scientific abrasion testing used to rate protective gear, turning the road itself from a passive surface into the test. The idea is built on a simple truth that there are two ways to find out how safe your gear is: on the road or at MotoCAP. Gear that looks protective can perform very differently in a motorcycle crash, and there is no guarantee that a garment’s price, brand or appearance are indicators of its protective performance.
Real riders from across Victoria interact directly with The Shredmill, watching their own gear tested in front of them and seeing the invisible difference in protection made immediate and impossible to argue with, as their shredded gear is revealed alongside a MotoCAP 5-star rated equivalent.
Giles Watson, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO, “The road feels passive until the moment you come off. Then it becomes the ultimate judge of your gear. We built The Shredmill to bring that test forward, so riders can see the difference for themselves in a way that real riders could interact with.”
MotoCAP chief scientist and associate professor, Dr Christopher Hurren, said: “It can be very difficult to know how protective motorcycle clothing really is just by looking at it. MotoCAP gives riders independent scientific evidence about how gear performs. The Shredmill gives us a powerful way to take that testing directly to riders and let them see the difference for themselves.”
The campaign will reach its biggest live audience at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, where thousands of riders will see how safe the gear they trust really is, and whether it can hold up when it matters. Attendees can interact with the demonstration, challenge assumptions about their gear and discover the value of MotoCAP’s independent safety ratings.
Fin Bird, TAC executive general manager for marketing and behaviour change, said:
“Riders know protective gear matters, but not all gear on the market offers the same level of protection. To help reduce the severity of injuries when motorcycle crashes occur, this campaign aims to raise awareness of MotoCAP, a free, independent resource that helps riders make informed choices about the gear they buy and wear. This campaign provides an innovative and engaging way to generate awareness and conversation around MotoCAP, encouraging more riders to check their gear before they hit the road.”
The Shredmill also forms the centrepiece of a campaign across film, social and digital, capturing real riders as their assumptions about the gear they wear meet the reality of the test.
Every demonstration ultimately points riders towards MotoCAP, giving them an independent resource to check the safety performance of their existing gear and make more informed choices about what they buy next.
Credits
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Client: Transport Accident Commission (TAC)
Production Company: Finch
Director: Toby Pike
MD: Corey Esse
EP: Martin Box
Producer: Jackie Adler
DP: Stefan Duscio
Production Designer: Lucinda Thompson
Production Engineer: Harry Dakanalis, D2Motion
Post House: Heckler
Producer: Amy Jarman
Editor: Andrew Holmes
Photographer: Jesper Neilson
Original Music: Studio Tonic
Media agency: OMD
