Turning The Highway Code into a Bedtime Story for Scrap Car Comparison
A creative Digital PR campaign that turned the Highway Code into the sleep aid Britain’s drivers never knew they needed.
We partnered with motoring legend Vicki Butler-Henderson to record The Highway Code as a bedtime story, turning the nation’s most famously boring book into the sleep aid nobody knew they needed. Leaning into the science of hypnagogic learning (the idea that we absorb information as we drift off to sleep), we found a way to tackle two of Britain’s biggest driving problems at once: knowledge gaps and fatigue behind the wheel.
What we did
Brand Campaign
Creative Testing
YouGov Data
Talent Collaboration
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Audiobook downloads on Spotify
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Pieces of national coverage
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Total YouTube views
The challenge
Our research revealed that more than half of UK drivers haven’t revisited the Highway Code since passing their test – and that 58% regularly struggle to get a good night’s sleep. Both are a genuine risk on the road. So we asked: could we solve both problems at once? And just as importantly, could we make it something people would actually want to engage with?
Our approach
Rules are dull. The Highway Code is dull. Sleep advice is dull. We needed something that wasn’t. Partnering with a well-known motoring name as narrator was the obvious move, so we brought in former Fifth Gear and Top Gear presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson. Her passion for driving, her commitment to road safety, and her delivery helped transform the famously dry rules of the road into a soothing, sleep-inducing bedtime narration. The audiobook was made available across Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
The impact
The audiobook was downloaded more than 2,000 times on Spotify alone, with the campaign earning 29 pieces of national coverage including GB News, Birmingham Live, and Car Buzz, alongside BBC Radio. On YouTube, the content racked up over 2,750 views across Scrap Car Comparison’s channel and Vicki Butler-Henderson’s own audience – proof that the idea travelled well beyond its original platform.
"This campaign perfectly married two genuine issues facing UK drivers – knowledge gaps and poor sleep – into something creative and memorable. Partnering with Vicki Butler-Henderson gave it real credibility, and the response spoke for itself."
