On November 22, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) launched its Safe Family Holiday media campaign with much fanfare. Using a giant inflatable snow globe as a backdrop, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki along with OHS Director Jana Simpler and OHS PIO Mitch Topal cut the ribbon to launch the campaign. Also in attendance were members of the Delaware State Police, paramedics, OHS staffers, representatives from AAA Mid-Atlantic and the media (see Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Cutting the Ribbon on The Most Dangerous Time of the Year Campaign.
With shorter days, holiday festivities that may involve alcohol and more cars on the road, the potential for crashes increases significantly. The Safe Family Holiday campaign touches on many of our priority areas including Impaired Driving, Pedestrian Safety, Distracted Driving, Occupant Protection and Speed. OHS is launching this campaign to build awareness and motivate Delawareans to slow down and be aware of the many dangers that can cause injurious and sometimes deadly crashes.
Last year, the Delaware law enforcement responded to more than 21,000 collisions—with 117 of these being fatal crashes resulting in 120 deaths. The combination of winter weather and holiday celebrations makes November through the end of December one of the most dangerous times of the year for drivers and pedestrians. It also makes it one of the most tragic times of the year for families who lose loved ones, as well as the thousands of crash victims who survive but are faced with debilitating injuries, unexpected expenses and legal repercussions. Recent statistics emphasize why OHS is focusing on four core areas of travel safety during The Most Dangerous Time of the Year campaign.
Pedestrians: Over the past 5 years, 146 pedestrians have been killed in traffic accidents; in 2016, collisions caused the death of 28 pedestrians in Delaware. We now have the highest per-capita pedestrian fatality rate in America.
DUIs: So far in 2017, the state of Delaware has seen 3,141 DUI arrests and 32 impaired driving-related fatalities.
Speeding and failure to use seatbelts: Last year (2016) Delaware had 44 fatalities related to seatbelt and speed violations. Police issued 93,509 speeding tickets, and 5,797 seatbelt tickets.
Distracted driving: Inattentive driving caused the majority of harmful or fatal crashes in Delaware in 2016.
About the Campaign
OHS’s The Most Dangerous Time of the Year campaign—which runs November 22, 2017 through December 31, 2017—was developed to help Delawareans make an easy and memorable connection between everything that’s cherished about the holidays and how quickly that joy can turn into harmful or fatal accidents. At the heart of the campaign are two ubiquitous holiday favorites: snow globes and caroling. However, OHS has given these icons a message-laden twist to advance the campaign objectives. Snow globes will be depicted in posters, print ads, billboards, theater ads, retail floor displays, social media posts, website pages and more with a call to action of “Don’t let a crash shake things up this holiday season,” as well as specific messaging related to the core topics (see Figure 2).
Figure 2.
Campaign Posters
Two over-sized inflatable snow globes will also be on display with pledge-signing opportunities. One will remain at the Riverfront Rink, with the other traveling to malls, holiday events and other venues in Delaware (see Figure 3). Carolers singing favorite holiday songs with new lyrics reinforcing campaign messages will be present with the snow globes and heard over the airwaves.
Figure 3.
Inflatable Snow Globes
Finally, OHS urges motorists to make good decisions. If you drink, don’t drive. If you drink and don’t have a designated driver, visit our website at www.arrivealivede.com/Drive-Sober for a list of safe ride options, including taxies, and links to the Uber and Lyft apps.
We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Plan ahead. Buckle up. Pay attention. Arrive alive.