French automotive manufacturer PEUGEOT is embarking on its second Road Safety campaign entitled Disconnect Before You Drive, which has been launched following a study conducted by the French automaker showing that over a third of drivers conduct meetings and conference calls whilst driving.
The first-of-its kind study conducted in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with YouGov, revealed the range of distractions commuters experience whilst driving, with over 70% of motorists in the UAE and KSA using video conferencing platforms while driving. The results highlighted that a staggering 65% of drivers conduct calls with their videos on, whilst nearly 7 out of 10 said they did feel more distracted on the road whilst doing this.
The results also showed that nearly 4 out of 5 motorists claimed that they use video conferencing platforms more frequently now than they did pre-pandemic. The study highlighted that in the UAE, urgent, last minute meetings were the top reason why respondents conducted calls from their cars, with meetings outside of working hours being most common. In Saudi Arabia, the top reasons were due to personal and work related reasons, with meetings outside of work hours being the main culprit.
The Disconnect Before You Drive campaign launches with an impactful brand film, which PEUGEOT hopes will encourage customers to think twice about connecting to video calling apps whilst on the road. The campaign will then be supported by wider radio and social media campaigns to drive further awareness.
Rakesh Nair, Managing Director for European Brands at Stellantis ME, said: “At PEUGEOT, we believe it is important to inform and support our customers in being safe on the roads, and focusing on our brand promise of delivering quality time for all. People are going about their daily lives while driving, but the dangers of jumping on a video call, while in the car are very much evident. Our post-pandemic lives are busier, more demanding and possibly more stressful and as we all try and balance working life with personal life, it can be hard to fit everything into one day. This trend of increased video calling whilst driving is alarming, and something we as a brand take very seriously.
This campaign we hope will impact our customers, internal Stellantis employees and every day road users to re-consider their daily drives and push back on last minute meetings for video calls, ultimately making our lives safer on the roads.”
The campaign follows the successful Buckle Up! project which was launched earlier this year, and promoted safety on the roads to school children and their parents.
