DOT’s New Safety Ads: “Look” Doesn’t Flinch

2:58 PM EDT on June 17, 2009

DOT today announced a new slate of public service announcements for its "Look" cyclist safety campaign. As demonstrated in this TV ad, the spots are more graphic -- i.e. more realistic -- than the previous line-up (though those ads are currently running online as well), and are reminiscent of PSAs we've seen from abroad. Reads a DOT press release:

"We are doing everything we can to engineer safer streets, but we needto do even more to reach motorists behind the wheel, which thiscampaign does in a dramatic way," said Janette Sadik-Khan, DOTCommissioner. "Last year, some 3,000 bicyclists were injured in caraccidents citywide, and too many of these accidents occurred becausedrivers and riders simply weren't paying attention. While the number ofbicycle injuries continues to fall, there's still no substitute forsimple awareness and attention on the road."

We can't help pointing out that, as it stands, the crash that injured the victim depicted here probably would not even make the news. The driver, meanwhile, regardless of culpability (assuming drugs or alcohol were not involved), would most assuredly have been allowed to leave the scene in his or her car by now without so much as a summons. But maybe those are topics for another campaign.

The latest round of ads, available here for viewing and downloading, will run through June, and are accompanied by direct mail pieces for city homeowners and drivers license holders.

The "Look" program is a project of the New York City Bicycle Safety
Coalition, which includes DOT, the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, NYPD, the Taxi and Limousine
Commission, the Public Advocate's Office, Transportation Alternatives,
the Five Borough Bike Club, the New York City Bicycle Messenger's
Association and NY State AAA.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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