A Road Accident Fund advertisement, aired on a Sunday during the Comrades Marathon, showing a body in a morgue with a toe tag with the words “Car Accident” and a voice warning “Your trip should not end here”, was the subject of a complaint before the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).

The advertisement, which is a message conveyed by the RAF for safe driving, sparked a complaint by a viewer, who said family viewing, such as the Comrades Marathon, should be safe spaces and free of distress to young viewers, such as his child, who saw it.

The directorate of the ARB remarked that as this commercial was broadcast on a Sunday afternoon, during an international sporting event, it can be assumed that children may well be watching television with their parents.

It, therefore, accepts that the commercial was likely to have been seen by children, even if they were not the intended audience.

It noted that the complainant’s concern appears to be that the concept, and visuals, of a morgue, bodies, and death in general, are not suitable for daytime viewing when families are watching television.

It, however, commented that it can also be assumed that South Africa’s notoriously high road fatality figures would likely require some form of confrontation to grab viewers’ attention. It is also not uncommon for entities that strive to bring about social change to rely on confronting communication to deliver their message to consumers.

But, the ARB said, children are not the target audience for this message, which is aimed at drivers. The commercial does not feature children, and creates no expectation that children should emulate unsafe behaviour.

It is, therefore, extremely unlikely that any child would suffer physical harm as a consequence of viewing the commercial or emulating anything seen in it.

In addition, the ARB said that the commercial does not contain images of gratuitous violence. For example, one does not see the various car accidents that are presumed to have led to the bodies visible in the morgue.

The only objectionable issue raised by the complainant is the fact that the commercial is set in a morgue, and that bodies are shown. But the ARB said that the bodies shown in the commercial are either covered entirely by blue sheets or are only shown in a way that leaves their feet visible.

There are no gratuitous visuals that are likely to shock viewers or children. No blood, dismemberment, or deformation can be seen, and the setting is clinical, rather than overtly morbid or macabre, the directorate said, adding that it is not convinced that the images shown would cause a young child emotional harm.

It added that children may not necessarily be used to discussing death and its associated trauma. At the same time, however, these themes are common in everyday media, television shows, and movies, including those primarily intended for family viewing.

Examples stated by the ARB include The Lion King, Bambi, Coco, Up, and Big Hero 6, all of which were animated movies aimed at children, and all of which featured at least one character death as part of the story.

“Admittedly, parents might not necessarily choose to discuss these issues with their children. However, the commercial also creates an opportunity to deliver the intended message of driver behaviour to children in a way that they can comprehend its intended purpose.”

It concluded that in this context, it does not contravene the advertising code.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

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