Virginias Highway Safety Challenge

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Virginias Highway Safety Challenge

• In October 2007, the Virginia Department of
  Transportation (VDOT) partnered with the Virginia
  State Police (VSP) and the Virginia Department of
  Motor Vehicles (DMV) to develop Virginias
  Highway Safety Challenge, a statewide
  communications campaign designed to raise public
  awareness of the alarming number of deaths on
  Virginias highways and improve driving behavior.
• The campaign asks the question
• Are you Virginias next traffic fatality?

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Research

• More than 900 people are killed on Virginias
  highways each year. In 2007, more than 1,000
  individuals lost their lives on Virginias
  highways for the first time since 1990.
• Highway crashes are the leading cause of death
  for Virginians under the age of 30.
• Not wearing a seat belt contributes to more
  fatalities than any other driving behavior.
• Thirty-eight percent of vehicle-crash deaths
  involve drinking alcohol.

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Goal and Objective

• Goal To improve highway safety and reduce
  highway-related deaths in Virginia.
• Objective To reduce the annual number of highway
  deaths in Virginia by 100 by 2010.

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Key Target Audiences

• Drivers on Virginias highways
• Virginia high school drivers education students
• Virginia residents
• Statewide media
• Internal audiences VDOT, State Police and
  Department of Motor Vehicles
• Local governments

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Key/Call-to-Action Messages

• Driver behavior has proven to be the most
  effective tool for preventing highway crashes,
  and ultimately highway deaths.
• Virginias Highway Safety Campaign challenges
  motorists to
• Buckle up
• Avoid distractions
• Share the road
• Drive drug and alcohol free
• Obey speed limits

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Campaign Elements
High school pledge card
ABC liquor bags
Web site screen shot
Mirror sticker in rest area
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NASCAR Driver David Ragan Public Service
Announcement
Please click screen to view video.
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Sample Media Coverage
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Measurable Results

• As of June 22, there have been 369 highway
  deaths since January 1, compared to 466 highway
  deaths during the same time period last year.