Tweed Shire Council has teamed up with TAFE NSW Kingscliff students to promote a new seatbelt safety campaign as part of the national Re:act program
The Re:act program challenges design students to create road safety campaigns that connect with their peers aged 17 to 25. Holly Porter's winning campaign was developed with input from Council, Transport for NSW and Safe System Solutions. It's now being promoted through partner networks and displayed locally.
The Hug of Life campaign reminds young drivers and passengers to buckle up, a simple action that saves lives.
Tweed Shire Council supported the campaign by providing local insights, promoting the message through community channels, and is proud to showcase Holly's design on a local bus shelter along Greenway Drive in Banora Point.
The artwork is eye-catching and highly visible to high school students and the wider community. Seeing the campaign at full scale brings the message to life and makes an even stronger impact.
Holly was motivated to create a campaign that spoke directly to the real behaviours and attitudes she uncovered during her research.
"At least half of the surveys I conducted came back stating that either people do not use their seatbelts correctly or not at all, and that is just mind‑boggling," Holly said.
"The slogan was inspired by the famous song The Kiss of Life, a play on words. 'Hug of Life' felt fitting because it captures the idea that your seatbelt is literally holding you safe."
Council's Road Safety Officer, Lily Morgan, said the initiative is a creative and empowering way to involve young people in lifesaving behaviour change.
"This campaign puts young people's safety front and centre," Ms Morgan said.
"Holly has done a fantastic job bringing the message to life in an engaging way, with a clear sense of care throughout the design."
What sets this program apart is the influence each student brings. Participants learn about road safety, how to communicate effectively, and how to positively impact the behaviour of other young people. They speak directly with peers in their community and then take those insights to a wider audience.
Ms Morgan is grateful for all the students who participated in the program, saying their enthusiasm and commitment have made a real difference in helping keep our community safer on the roads
While seatbelt laws have been in place for more than 50 years, we continue to see lives lost and people being serious injured from not wearing a seatbelt. Since July 2024 mobile phone detection cameras have been used to enforce seatbelt offences, including to issue fines and demerit points.
Recent attitude and behavioural research conducted by Centre for Road Safety show Australians' commitment to wearing seatbelts may be declining. Kingscliff TAFE students conducted peer surveys as part of their research process. The research illustrated that there are drivers and passengers in our community who would benefit from the reminder that their seatbelt is the hug of life.
Seatbelts remain one of the most effective ways to prevent serious injury or death on our roads. The World Health Organisation found that seatbelts reduce the risk of fatal or serious injury by up to 60% for drivers and front‑seat passengers, and by approximately 44% for rear‑seat occupants.
Seatbelts save lives because they help keep you in place during a crash, stop you from being thrown around inside the vehicle, and spread the impact across the stronger parts of the body.
To learn more about Re:act and view the campaign, visit reactforchange.org
