Let us get a little Newtonian here: For every action, there is an equal reaction is a physical law that is resonating among transportation and public safety officers nationwide these days. Upticks in accidents attributed to distracted driving are compelling local and state governments to find novel ways to quash a burgeoning trend.
Certainly, laws restricting the use of cellphones and related technologies while driving are in place across the country, but telephones are only a fraction of the distractions eroding driver, and even pedestrian, attention.
What is more, those who do honor the cellphone ban while driving, do so while tapping out drumbeats on a dashboard or handling a too-hot cup of coffee. Multi-tasking of any sort is hazardous behavior in these circumstances and no law on the books can completely eliminate the dangers for everyone.
What is a municipal or state transportation authority to do?
They turn to humor and popular-culture references in the hopes of getting people's attention — and saving lives
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Trying to keep pedestrians safe requires a sense of humor. (Photo: Northeastern Illinois University Police Dept. via Facebook)
In Hayward, Calif., the city's concern is pedestrians who cannot stow smart phones in order to cross streets safely. It is commonplace to see people walking while checking their phones. And it is also routine to watch people walk into doors and trip on curbs all without losing eye contact with their phone display.
Hayward, a stone's throw from Silicon Valley where automakers are experimenting with their own approaches to the distracted driving epidemic, has turned to humorous traffic signs to catch the attention of texting pedestrians. A novel crosswalk sign reads: "Heads up! Cross the Street, then Update Facebook." For drivers on a particularly steep street, the city offers: "Downhill: Use eyes, brakes, brains."
A little humor can go a long way in the fight to keep drivers safe. (Photo: Arizona Dept. of Transporation via Twitter)
At the state level, Arizona's Department of Transportation is using the resource of 200-plus overhead message boards on state highways to broadcast public service announcements on an as-needed basis.
The unconventional messaging campaign started over Thanksgiving of 2015 with "Drinking & Driving Go Together Like Peas & Guac." The "peas and guac" refers to a controversial recipe published in The New York Times in July of 2013 that fueled an Internet storm among traditional guacamole lovers. In a states like Arizona where Mexican cuisine is a staple, such heresy is provocative, and when deployed as a PSA, it underscores the mismatch between drinking and safe driving.
This traffic campaign launched just before the Star Wars came out last fall. (Photo: Answer Financial via Twitter)
A series of "Star Wars"-themed message boards followed over Christmas and New Year's, coinciding with the debut of the latest installment of the movie franchise.
"Aggressive Driving is the Path to the Dark Side" was one of the notable "Star Wars" references. Both holiday campaigns were well received by the public and are now part of the arsenal the Arizona Department of Transportation uses to draw attention to pertinent transportation issues.
The Arizona Department of Transportation used these messages to target teens on the road during spring break. (Photo: Answer Financial via Twitter)
Arizona Department of Transportation media spokesman, Doug Pacey, spoke recently about the latest message-board campaign that targeted spring breakers, which includes an increasingly vulnerable driving demographic of males between the ages of 15 and 34 who are suffering vehicle fatalities at higher rates than other cohorts, according to "Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts 2014."
The PSAs include: "Spring Breakers: Does Mom Approve of Your Driving?" and "Spring Breakers: Slow Your Roll, Arrive Alive." Pacey explains, "We key our messages to specific audiences," and adds, "We want the message to resonate, for people to take the messages to heart and generate a conversation on social media and in their homes."
Departments of transportation are trying to reach teens and college students who are more likely to text and drive. (Photo: Northeastern Illinois University Police Department via Twitter)
Driverless cars are probably the ultimate answer to the distracted driving epidemic, but that future is still in development. In the meantime, public officials have to rely on their own creativity and available resources to deliver the message that eyes on the road is the safest way to "Arrive Alive," reprising the State of Florida's 70's era safe-driving tagline.
Peter R. Thom is president of Orinda, Calif.-based Peter R. Thom and Associates, a forensic automotive consulting and engineering firm.
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