Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #19-079
Friday, December 13, 2019
Contact: Scott Gastel/Lolita Avila (212) 839-4850
Vision Zero: DOT and Council Member Rodriguez Unveil Dramatic New Public Awareness Campaign
“Was it Worth It?” uses realistic and hard-hitting post-crash imagery, with a goal of changing reckless driving behavior; Four million dollar multi-platform marketing campaign will run now through the spring, traditionally the deadliest months of the year for pedestrians
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the launch of “Was it Worth It?” a new multi-platform marketing campaign that aims to shift motorist behavior and reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities. The new $4 million campaign uses dark and compelling images, looking at the aftermath of serious crashes from the driver’s perspective. The campaign, which will run now through the spring (traditionally the deadliest time of the year for pedestrians), was launched in Council Member Rodriguez’s Washington Heights district with a recently-installed billboard at 181st Street and Broadway.
“After almost six years’ experience of Vision Zero here in New York City, we know that drivers involved in fatal crashes feel enormously deep regret – often coupled with guilt, fear, and emotional pain,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “With this new campaign, we are trying to capture that deeply scarring moment -- with the goal of preventing motorists from ever having to endure one. And in the midst of holidays and our annual Dusk and Darkness campaign, we are also reminding motorists how dangerous these dark and cold months are for pedestrians – and to think twice about their behavior, including not driving while intoxicated. We offer a special thanks to Chair Rodriguez for always prioritizing and advocating for the safety of New Yorkers – here in his district and across the whole City.”
“The recently installed billboard on 181st street will help drivers become more aware that their actions have real consequences on pedestrians and cyclists. As we continue expanding on protections for pedestrians and cyclists, we must continue pushing for an increase in on the road awareness,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairman of the Transportation Committee. “My goal as the chairman of the transportation committee has been to make New York City the most walkable and pedestrian friendly in the nation. Working alongside Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, advocates and community members we will ensure that all New Yorkers are protected on the roads.”
“This new campaign from Vision Zero is timely and necessary to address the rise in fatalities from motorists in New York City. As a driver, cyclist, and pedestrian myself, I think the decision to frame these ads from the perspective of the motorist is an important development that will help reach people, raise awareness, and save lives,” said State Senator Robert Jackson, Cities Committee Chair.
“It’s time for New York City to treat reckless driving like the epidemic that it is,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso. “Families and friends of traffic crash victims know all too well that reckless driving can have tragic and even fatal consequences. A life lost to traffic violence is all the more devastating due to the fact that in many cases, it could have been avoided in the first place. I thank the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez for their work to create the “Was it Worth It?” campaign. We need to shift our current culture so that drivers take responsibility for their actions, and this a step in the right direction. By raising awareness about the disastrous impacts of reckless driving, the campaign will help shift motorist behavior before it’s too late.”
Following its past successful Vision Zero campaigns -- “Your Choices Matter” and the award- winning “Signs” campaign -- DOT this year went back to the drawing board to create a new and innovative marketing effort. While previous Vision Zero campaigns had focused mostly on the victims of traffic crashes, this campaign relies for the first time on the emotional experience of the motorist. The new ads explore and identify the key behaviors that contribute to roadway fatalities, which includes speeding, failure to yield, and distracted driving. By targeting motorists, the ads aim to provoke questions. That is, if some preventably dangerous driving behavior – say, driving a few miles over the speed limit, turning too quickly, or checking a text message -- resulted in the loss of someone’s life, the driver would have to ask himself, “Was it Worth It?”
The “Was it Worth It?” campaign follows the data-driven process that has guided previous Vision Zero marketing efforts. The creative concept was produced based on comprehensive market research, with media placement guided by data from the Vision Zero Pedestrian Safety Action Plan as well as DOT’s Green Wave Bicycle Safety Plan.
DOT has launched the new campaign in the last quarter of the year, when it becomes more urgent to drive more safely. According to DOT studies that now undergird the annual Dusk and Darkness campaign, the fall and winter’s darker evening commute traditionally leads to an increase in traffic crashes, especially among pedestrians. With more traffic fatalities in 2019 than this time last year, the new campaign asks drivers to do their part to make the streets safer for all road users.
Currently, a series of advertisements are running during the evening commute on a variety of English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole radio stations. Outdoor advertisements, which features the tagline “Was it Worth It?” can been seen on billboards and bus tails in English, Spanish, and Chinese in Vision Zero priority areas across the city. The campaign is running now through the end of the year. DOT will further expand the campaign’s reach in early 2020.
About Vision Zero:
In 2014, New York City became the first City in the United States to implement Vision Zero. Through a combination of enforcement, education and engineering, New York City made dramatic changes that have helped drive down fatalities for five consecutive years, bucking national trends. To maintain progress, since the beginning of 2019, New York City has released a Vision Zero Year 5 Report, as well as a major update to its Pedestrian Safety Action Plans. In July, to address an upturn in cyclist fatalities, the Mayor released the Green Wave plan, which further expands these efforts.
For more information about the de Blasio Administration's Vision Zero initiative, please see www.nyc.gov/visionzero
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