Clunk Click Every Trip

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"Clunk Click Every Trip" was the slogan of a series of British public information films sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in January 1971 and starring Jimmy Savile. The slogan was introduced during the previous campaign, fronted by Shaw Taylor and featuring the slogan "Your Seatbelt Is Their Security". However, it was the onomatopoeia used by Taylor to describe the act of closing the door and fastening a seatbelt that proved the most memorable aspect of that campaign, and so it was upgraded to act as the slogan when the films moved into colour.

The advertisements highlighted the dangers of being thrown through the windscreen in a car accident and reminded drivers that the first thing they should do after closing the door ("Clunk") is fasten their seatbelt ("Click"). These advertisements helped lay the groundwork for compulsory seatbelt use in the front seat of a vehicle, which came into force on January 31, 1983, in the UK. Some of the films in the series included:

Maximillian, in which a young man who was paralysed in a car accident as a result of not wearing a seatbelt advises the audience to "Clunk Click Every Trip".

Shopping, with Jimmy explaining that, contrary to popular belief, most road accidents occur on short trips and often on roads with which the driver is familiar, such as women going shopping for groceries or collecting children from school.

Accidents At Speed, showing what can happen to an unbelted person in the front of a car in a crash at 30mph or faster.

Lucky Escape, where a young couple explain how seatbelt use saved their lives in an accident that completely crushed their car.

Myrtle, showing a woman who was blinded in a car accident because she wasn't belted in.

Loose Objects, in which Jimmy demonstrates, using an egg in two different boxes, how a seatbelt will protect you in the event of an accident.

The "Clunk Click" slogan was originally developed in the 1960s and first used in a series of public information films fronted by Shaw Taylor, although it was not the main tagline of the campaign. The slightly different line "Clunk Click, even on the shortest trips" was developed for a later seatbelt campaign, The Blunders, featuring a family whose appalling driving caused road accidents where other drivers were seriously injured because they had not worn a seatbelt.

The last Public Information Film to use the slogan was Elephant, produced in 1993.