The 7th sense - three minutes of accident prevention at prime time
10/29/2017
The word "cult" is easily bandied about these days. However, "Der 7. Sinn" undoubtedly deserves this title. Between 1966 and 2005, a total of 1462 episodes of the legendary road safety program were filmed and broadcast on ARD.
In the mid-sixties, over 16,000 people died on German roads every year. An incredible number compared to the 3200 people who were killed in accidents in 2016. The German road safety organization Deutsche Verkehrswacht was therefore looking for new ways to increase road safety. They turned to WDR, which began filming three-minute educational films on the subject of road safety under the title "Der 7. Sinn" (The 7th Sense) and broadcast them weekly on ARD and the third channels. They were always placed in the evening program in order to reach as many viewers as possible. Even the jagged title melody demanded the unconditional attention of television viewers.
Accidents, injuries, deaths: road safety is a serious matter. "Der 7. Sinn" therefore focused on unequivocal prevention. The program often featured explicit accident scenarios: Children in go-karts were run over, passers-by were taken on their horns, cars hurtled down slopes. In the first 30 years, over 1000 cars were wrecked. Most of these were old vehicles that had been repainted.
The show achieved cult status partly due to Egon Hoegen's dry, deadpan commentary voice and partly due to the unintentional comedy of various episodes. The defamatory portrayal of women in road traffic, for example, is a child of its time. This can be seen in this compilation (unfortunately interspersed with inappropriate laughter), in which female drivers are accused of having a seatbelt-wearing problem, among other things:
Another gem from the archive is that of the overtaxed East German who suddenly finds himself confronted with modern vehicle technology after the fall of the Wall:
As mentioned, "The 7th Sense" repeatedly relies on clear descriptions of accidents. In this 1981 episode, however, the sound effects, which were intended to penetrate deep into the viewer's consciousness, seem almost more disconcerting:
Daredevil stunts were also incorporated time and again. The makers thought: clear announcements are more convincing than the admonishing finger. A particularly action-packed episode from 1995:
But there were also some rather unusual traffic situations, such as tanks on the road. It wasn't that easy to find topics for 1462 episodes.
