A young boy emulates the father he idolises by converting his bicycle into a motorcycle.

His dad comes home, safe and sound on his bike, to find his son kitted out just like him.

The Stay A Hero film is fast becoming an internet sensation and, its creators hope, will make bikers think twice about safety by reaching them on their own terms.

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership commissioned the film, Stay A Hero, to take a different approach to cutting road accidents.

The film was created by Daniel Cox, the director behind the award-winning Embrace Life campaign.

That advert, which shows a family acting as their father's seatbelt, won international awards and has been watched more than 13 million times on internet site YouTube.

Stay A Hero has already been watched more than 100,000 times since it went online in May.

In the first six months of this year 14 motorcyclists were killed in the county, compared with six in the same period last year.

In total between January and June this year there were 32 deaths on the roads of Sussex.

Ken Seymour, the manager of Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, said: “Despite motorcyclists being a small proportion of road users, they make up a large percentage of casualties across Sussex.

“Stay a Hero deliberately avoids laying blame of any sort and isn't your usual shocking public service film. We hope that it will connect with our biker community, generate discussion and help to save lives on our roads.”

The film's producer, Sarah Alexander, said: “Rather than using fear and gore tactics we have tried to remind bikers of how great it is to ride while at the same time reminding them who they are going home to and why they need to stay safe.

“We are hoping the message will save lives this summer.”

Sid Bourne, the manager of Bikes Of Brighton in Preston Road, Brighton, said he welcomed an effort to appeal to motorcyclists on their own terms and that bikers can feel they are blamed for road accidents.

He said: “It is more a case of educating car drivers than educating bikers.

“Most of the bikers know what they are doing.”