Road Safety - Use Your Head (1959-1964, UK)

All the road safety PIFs starring George, animated by the legendary Harold Whitaker at Halas and Batchelor. Taken from Charley Says Volumes 1 & 2.
PIFs included:
- Rude on the Road
- Avoid Skidding
- Beware of Weaving
- Breakdowns
- The Way Ahead
- Don't Abuse the Crossing
- Acting Impulsively
- Tyre Maintenance

[@Pablo-312]

I love this style of cartoon

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

I like Harold Whitaker too

[@JakobusVdL]

Brilliant adverts -thanks for posting. Amazing how much cars have improved over the decades, we wouldn't worry about driving at sustained speeds these days, or checking oil and water before every trip. Road manners haven't improved though

[@COIcultist]

Thanks bought Charley Says years ago wasn't aware of the extended version.

[@unluckiestkidsstudios]

The breakdowns ad had the longest silence

[@bodaciousbeebee]

I wish I could put a big tv on top of my car and play these service announcements when I'm driving to and from work

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

You’re not supposed to be looking at a screen and driving at the same time. Remember, use your head.

[@11carbuff19572011]

The Central Office of Information named the animated character George, the chappie who looked like Fred Flintstone. Voiced by Peter Cook (1937-96). Peter Hawkins narrated the series of classic PIFs.

[@SantiagoRevecoLepeReborn]

*Rex:* What are we gonna do, Buzz? *Buzz:* Use your head.

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

“BUT I DON’T WANNA USE MY HEAD!”

[@unluckiestkidsstudios]

​@@zltoonslc2000rj"ARRRRGGHHHHHHHHHH!!" (bangs head on vent) "ow....."

[@saxongreen78]

10 breakdowns a day on the M1...poor old Pommy cars, used to putting along at 30mph for 70 years then, all of a sudden, _motorways!_

[@unluckiestkidsstudios]

The silence at the end of these videos scare me It makes me feel like someone is watching from the very distance

[@SharonGarcia-ze3en]

Really?!!

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

To be honest, the “George” character reminds me of the Little Man from the “Pink Panther” shorts.

[@MrIveyIsBonkers]

The total silence at the end of some of the ads makes me feel uncomfortable. Why they do that is beyond me

[@betaman7988]

It was a regulation that all adverts had to have around a second or two at the start and end of the commercial. Sometimes it would be longer at the end just to fill time in

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@betaman7988 Yep, British ads back then often had extra footage at the end, often dropped while airing as they could splice another ad in place or leave it to trail out into the start of the program or such. Japan followed a similar approach with their ads often beginning with a second of silence that continues to this day. America never followed such an approach, as our ads tend to fade in and out for decades but nowadays they all usually start and end without transitions.

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

@@ChristopherSobieniak Cut from/to black, though

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@zltoonslc2000rj True, notice UK went that way. America's following that approach lately.

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

@@ChristopherSobieniak Actually, in the 1950s, US ads would occasionally have silence at the end for a voiceover to come in. It was also very rarely the same as in the UK, except it wasn’t a regulation.

[@hotelmario510]

I always these cheaply animated old ads because you can see what was originally planned in the storyboarding stage and changed later on. For example, at 0:40 you can tell from the Xes in his eyes that the man in the white car was originally meant to die when the back of his car was crashed into, but it must have been changed for fear of being too upsetting to viewers.

[@zltoonslc2000rj]

To be honest maybe the dude was just meant to be driven (no pun intended) unconscious. Also I think the used ending is funnier. Besides, the theme of death would be used in a more comic way in “Beware of Weaving”.

[@unluckiestkidsstudios]

The eyes remind me of south park lol