Stunt talents hit the screen in SAAQ’s powerful film

Despite a slightly hyper-real videogame finish to the film, this unusual, technically impressive PSA warning against the dangers of in-car phone usage features live footage of actual collisions with stunt people.  

It was directed by Olivier Staub, through Great Guns, with animation by Shed, and conceived by Lg2. The Quebec City agency has created a number of potent campaigns for SAAQ (Quebec Automobile Insurance Corporation), a body that administers the province’s public auto insurance and drivers’ licenses, while also promoting awareness of road safety. 

Like a series of mirrors reflecting images reflected in a mirror, It Has To Stop embarks on a kind of loop of horror, as we zoom into the content on the phone being looked at by a distracted driver as he hits a pedestrian – the content is a driver looking at his phone while hitting a pedestrian. 

The chain of distracted drivers watching footage of distracted drivers hitting evermore pedestrians speeds up, finally leading to the tagline ‘this has to stop’.