Ford Video Award: the winner is decided

"On the edge" tells the story of a couple who involuntarily balance on a cliff in a Ford Kuga. The vehicle is in a precarious balance, the slightest movement can mean the fall the depth. The driver got distracted by the smartphone and went off the road. Only when he throws the phone out of the window, the Kuga tilts back to a stable position. The couple is saved. The film plays with the basic idea that a smartphone should not be given too much weight, especially behind the wheel of a car. The idea is creative, the implementation as well as the acting performance are on a very high level. "Am Abgrund" not only convinced the expert jury, but also the online audience. Out of a maximum of 45 possible points, the film scored 41.

The expert jury, headed by actor and Prix Walo winner Leonardo Nigro, selected the five favorites from the numerous entries. In addition to Leonardo Nigro, the jury is made up of singer and songwriter Anna Känzig, presenter Andreas Pauli and Ford's social media expert Patricia Dürst.

Successful online campaign

Subsequently, the films presented themselves to the online audience on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. The amount of "likes" defined the additional points of the individual films. They met with lively interest: A total of more than 740,000 people were reached and made aware of the message "Focus on the road, not on the smartphone".

Social commitment

With the Video Award, Ford Switzerland wants to support Swiss filmmaking and especially young talent, but also make a contribution to road safety. In Switzerland, carelessness and distraction are among the most important causes of accidents. That's why more accidents with serious personal injuries happen than because of alcohol. One important factor: the smartphone.

In a study by the Allianz Center for Technology, 38 percent of German-speaking Swiss say they use their cell phones while driving, even in violation of the law. 14 percent read and seven percent even write text messages while driving.

The Zurich cantonal police are alarmed in the foreword to the "Traffic Accident Statistics 2016 Canton Zurich": "In particular, accidents as a result of operating cell phones (+33 percent) and as a result of momentary inattention (+49 percent) stand out strongly in 2016. Although the phenomenon is not new, it seems to be getting worse due to the advancing digitalization of society."

According to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu), the proportion of inattentive or distracted drivers in serious accidents is significantly higher among 18- to 24-year-olds than in other age groups.