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Dft advert 'did not breach rules'

05 March 2010

The advertising watchdog has said that a television advert which shows a cartoon character of a girl being hit by a car did not breach rules.

The Advertising Standards Agency said five viewers complained that the Department for Transport (DfT) advert distressed their young children, aged between four and seven.

In the advert, aimed at warning children about the dangers of not dressing brightly in the dark, a young girl is seen wearing a neck brace and a plaster on her head.

The advert for the DfT Think! campaign showed the girl stepping into the path of an oncoming car, with a nursery rhyme-style voice-over saying: "She always liked to look her best, so didn't wear a nice bright vest, or any clothing that was bright, when she was out at nearly night, but traffic couldn't see her see, And now she isn't so trendy, A car bumped right into her guts, And covered her with bruisy cuts."

The ad was approved by regulator Clearcast, who said a timing restriction to keep it away from children was unnecessary.

The DfT said warning children about the dangers of not dressing brightly in the dark was a cornerstone of its six to 11-year-old Child Road Safety Policy.

Copyright © Press Association 2010