"Clunk Click Every Trip" is the slogan of a series of British
public information film
Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...
s.
They commenced in the summer of 1970, presented by
Shaw Taylor, then from January 1971 to 1975 were presented by
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English media personality and DJ. He was known for his eccentric image, charitable work, and hosting the BBC shows ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. A ...
.
The BBC adapted Savile's slogan for the title of his Saturday night variety show beginning in 1973. The slogan was introduced during the previous campaign, fronted by Taylor and featuring the slogan "Your seatbelt is their security". It was the onomatopoeia used by Taylor to describe the act of closing the door and fastening a seatbelt which proved the most memorable aspect of the campaign, so it was upgraded to act as the slogan when the films moved into colour.
The advertisements highlighted the dangers of
traffic collision
A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...
s and reminded drivers that the first thing they should do after closing the door ("Clunk") is fasten their seatbelt ("Click"). These advertisements, which included graphic sequences of drivers being thrown through the windscreen and, in one Savile-hosted
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...
, an image of a disfigured woman who survived such an accident helped lay the groundwork for compulsory seatbelt use in the front seat of a vehicle, which came into force on 31 January 1983 in the UK, although car manufacturers had been legally obliged to fit front seatbelts since 1965.
See also
*
Seat belt legislation
*
Click It or Ticket
References
External links
Clunk Click – Shopping with Jimmy SavileNational Archives
The message clicksBBC News, 1 February 2006
{{Traffic law
1970s educational films
1971 films
1971 in the United Kingdom
1971 quotations
1993 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Automotive safety
British advertising slogans
British educational films
Jimmy Savile
Public information films
Seat belts