Digital agency MAAD Digital has created a campaign for Surrey Police and Surrey County Council that uses QR Codes to warn young motorists of the dangers of using mobile phones and texting while driving. The Talk SMART campaign forms part of a wider year long Drive SMART campaign tackling antisocial driving across the county.

MAAD Digital has designed leaflets which carry QR Code that, when snapped by a barcode reader, takes the user to a dedicated mobile site with more information. The company has also developed its own QR Code Reader iPhone app that can be downloaded from the Aple App Store.

MAAD’s brief from Surrey Police and Surrey County Council was to gain awareness of the campaign among 16 to 24-year-olds, a market which the agency believes will be receptive to QR Code technology. 15,000 leaflets containing the QR code have been printed, and these are being distributed at police station front counters and community locations, roadshows, and events and for use by officers when stopping people during the operational activity. The codes are also being used on two large pop-up stands for use at the roadshows.

“17 per cent of motorists nationally admit to using their mobile phone without a hands free kit while driving, putting themselves at risk of being four times more likely to be involved in a collision,” says Surrey Police neighbourhood communications and campaigns manager, Carys Jones. “Men aged 17 to 34 are more likely to do this and so we needed to find a way to get the message across to men in this age group across Surrey that talking on their mobile phones at the wheel really can put lives at risk.

“Knowing that this audience is very receptive to digital media, MAAD helped us design a campaign that involved online ads and suggested using the QR codes. We’re always looking for new and effective ways to reach our audiences. MAAD’s incorporation of the QR code into the mix brings a new angle, and one that we’ll be using again in future campaigns.’’