A Crash Course in Safety

There you are in your Camaro, zipping down I-25 outside Denver, hitting 80 mph, riding the bumper of the big truck ahead of you. You look off to the side of the freeway at a huge billboard and…. immediately slow down. Is that a cop you saw?

No, It was actually a billboard!

The message on this 3D billboard was loud and clear. Put up by the Colorado State Patrol, it shows just what happens when you drive too fast and too close to trucks. Just in case you need explanation, it also says, “Tailgating isn’t worth it.”

The enforcement agency hired a design firm to warn motorists about what can happen when you tailgate a semi. It caught the attention not only of motorists but also the media in Colorado, effectively extending the message. The State Patrol also got a healthy dose of free publicity.

 

How It Was Done

The design team used scale models and image manipulation software to get the effect of an actual crash. It looks like the real thing, with the middle of the design expanding outward with accordion-like crash results on the car and truck. 

Designers used billboard contractors who were experts, experienced in the demands of innovative construction, to put it all together and get it arranged for drivers to see.

 

Too Many Accidents

 

The Colorado State Patrol decided to put their money into the  “Give Trucks More Room” program in 2010 to raise awareness about aggressive driving around trucks and semis. Their aim was high visibility on just the single problem, avoidable crashes between passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

 

Over 3,500 deaths and 100,000 injuries are attributable to unsafe driving involving cars and trucks on the nation’s highways. In Colorado, there were more than 50 deaths and over 200 injuries in 2008, one of the reasons prompting the State Patrol’s campaign. According to their statistics, more than two-thirds of the time the driver of the car is at fault when a crash occurs.

 

Reinforcing the Message

The billboard achieved its goal of high visibility. Just to make sure the message got across, the outdoor installations were accompanied by radio spots to remind drivers to be cautious and to leave more room between their car and the trucks. This goes to show that outdoor advertising can be combined with other forms of advertising in a well-integrated campaign.

It is said that Creativity without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creativity with strategy is called ‘advertising.’ This billboard perfectly embodies the quote.