ASA Adjudication on Blackspot Interactive Ltd

Ad

A magazine ad, for a speed detector, showed a traffic-free road outside a school. Text stated "Are you missing something?" The same picture appeared two pages further on in the magazine, but this time a young girl was running across the road. Text stated "50% less accidents with ROAD ANGEL". Below, it stated "ROAD ANGEL Professional Connected is the UK's most advanced safety camera locator, alerting you to fixed and mobile cameras, school zones and other road hazards ... A six month survey of a 100 vehicle fleet* showed that users of ROAD ANGEL products are 50% less likely to be involved in traffic accidents - a vital reduction, especially around school zones ...". The asterisk linked to small print that stated "Survey conducted by Sanofi Synthelabo, visit www.roadangelgroup.com/press for more details".

Issue

A reader challenged whether:

1. the claim "50% less accidents with ROAD ANGEL" was misleading and could be substantiated, and

2. the ad misleadingly implied the survey included data taken from school zones.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

1. & 2. Road Angel Group (Road Angel) believed they held evidence for the claims but acknowledged that, when the ASA investigated similar claims made in one of their previous ads in 2005, the ASA had considered that  the survey was not sufficiently robust to substantiate the claims.  They said, due to senior management changes over recent years, they had been unaware of the 2005 ASA Adjudication.  Road Angel said they would amend the ad and would no longer use statistics drawn from the survey in their advertising.  

Assessment

1. & 2. Upheld

The ASA was concerned that Road Angel based the claims on a survey that the ASA had already considered to be flawed and therefore insufficiently robust to substantiate such claims.  We welcomed their assurance that they would amend the ad and would no longer use statistics drawn from the survey in their advertising.

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 and 7.2 (Truthfulness) and 48.8 (Motoring safety claims).

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form.  We advised Road Angel to consult the CAP Copy Advice team before advertising again.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)