04 December 2025 Edinburgh: Leith’s latest work for the Scottish Government blurs gaming and driving under the influence to send an essential message to young men this holiday season.
Leith’s new campaign for the Scottish Government is aimed at male drivers aged 17-25, particularly those who have recently passed their test. Launching in December to coincide with the holiday season, when young drivers are most likely to face peer pressure around drinking/drugs and driving, the films use well‑observed, nuanced video game language to cut through numbness around road safety and make a simple point: you can’t “reset” real life. The campaign focuses on friendships and the social stakes that matter most to this group, reframing risk as something that can cost the people they care about.
In film one, a quick visit to the pub turns into a level to beat; the soundtrack and on‑screen graphics echo game HUDs and lives counters, and a commitment to not drinking quickly turns into ‘just the one’. In film two, a house party becomes a battle of wills, with “gear” and “car keys” flashing in neon at impossibly high speed in a young man’s pupils – his decision-making leads to a game he can only lose. Both films end with a stark, real‑world consequence that reframes the ‘score’ as something you can’t simply replay – “Real Roads Don’t Reset”.
Young male drivers in this age group often feel invincible behind the wheel, and generic road‑safety messages have lost impact. Leith’s solution is to meet this audience in a cultural language they already use: gaming. The films blur the worlds of gaming and driving, borrowing the tone, visuals and shorthand of games to make the consequences of risky driving feel immediate and personal. Rather than lecturing, the films show how a single decision on the road can permanently change friendships and lives – there is no “reset” button.
The campaign extends across two 30-second films and social media statics.
Maria Solarin, Senior Marketing Manager at The Scottish Government said: “Too many young men still feel invincible behind the wheel. This campaign shows that one reckless choice can have permanent consequences – real roads don’t reset.”Leith creative team, Debbie Morgan and Neil Mackinnon said: “To make young road users sit up and pay attention, we wanted to meet them where they spend a lot of their time – video games. For us, the key was making that world feel as nuanced and recognisable as possible. The more we could make young drivers feel immersed in that world, the bigger the impact would be when we brought it back to reality.”
