DCist: Terrifying Pedestrian Safety Ads Running in D.C.

whateveryouwannacallit

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:14:04 -0500

Washington Dc has got to get some better safety ads than that, this place is dangerous.

kcperlas

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:41:50 -0500

Haha! This is going on my desktop. I've almost gotten hit by a VA driver wear an ORANGE dress. They must think they get a cash reward for running over brown people.

Disco Stu

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:09:53 -0500

Can't stand seeing pedestrians J-walk without at least looking in the direction of the oncoming traffic. Also, as a thought experiment: in the case of the poster, would parkour help? WWSFD? (What Would Sebastain Foucan Do?)

IntangibleArts

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:46:15 -0500

And the other insane thing about this campaign is the teeny little tag-line: --POLICE ARE ENFORCING SAFETY LAWS. and, uh, no. They're not. But what a groovy idea. Just think of the possibilities.

rugbykate

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:24:12 -0500

Seriously...1st Street NE, anyone? I think people see the part next to Union Station as a pedestrian mall, rather than a street with bike and car traffic. I almost hit a pedestrian (and nearly flew over the handlebars) when a woman with a bag-on-wheels stepped out 2 feet in front of my bike without looking up. She wasn't even talking on the phone - just an ipod and some quality tunnel vision. Truly impressive.

Mike Licht

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:14:16 -0500

"Use crosswalks and obey signals so you'll get hit by right-turning drivers -- it's safer!"

Deep

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:59:25 -0500

Some people are asking for it,standing in the street. Boom!

goat_boy

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:59:22 -0500

@guest number 10: awesome. thanks for the heads up. also a big fan of failblog.wordpress.com

Deep

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:59:09 -0500

Some people are asking for it,standing in the street. Boom!

monkeyrotica

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:46:03 -0500

Use crosswalks. Obey signals. Look left, right, left. See, now had he looked right just one more time, he wouldn't be a coffee-wearin, rib-crackin hood ornament and we wouldn't be making fun of his mama for dressing him funny. And she so fat, when she sits around the house, she sits AROUND the house. Mhm.

sordid

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:40:00 -0500

I thought this was an ad for the new and improved Corolla telling me what I should do tonight

DC Guy

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:15:51 -0500

So why not have more lights that stop all traffic like they do in Denver and Portland? If the Mayor and the Council really want a green, pedestrian friendly city, they could get it. Given the fiasco which is now Columbia Heights, I see the way, but no political will to address it.

DC Guy

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:14:37 -0500

monkeyrotica

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:02:12 -0500

Canada always gets the best PSAs. I think we can safely conclude from this poster that high-speed vehicular intimacies are a pastime best reserved for the professionals, like Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.

Nikolas Schiller

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:00:38 -0500

Monkeyrotica, this one is for you: Friends don't let friends drink Starbucks.

guest number 10

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:54:36 -0500

goat boy you need these: http://faildogs.com/

GhettoBurbs

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:53:54 -0500

I was a real fan of Interplay's PSAs from the mid 90's.

voteprime

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:50:43 -0500

This ad sort of reminds me of those ridiculously scary Canadian PSAs where a woman slips and pours boiling oil on her face or a dude gets blown off of 10 story building by an exploding gas tank. Actually, compared to those, these traffic ads are as tame as My Little Ponies!

monkeyrotica

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:44:09 -0500

If they were concerned about accuracy, the driver should be a diplomat with a .18 blood-alcohol level, the vehicle a high-end BMW, and the pedestrian a streetperson who's screaming at either one of his multiple personalities or at what's left of his shoes.

guest33

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:40:47 -0500

I am in between on these. I hate fear mongering, but I was run over by a car while crossing in a cross walk with the light. It's no joke and maybe people need to be reminded that when they cross paths on the street, they are a few inches away from something awful. This ad tries to do that without being "Faces of Death XXI".

the_heckle

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:26:41 -0500

I believe They Might Be Giants could help MWCOG out?

ajw_93

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:20:37 -0500

Coming soon to Metro platform plasma screens near you: "Faces of Death"!

DudeLooksLikeALady

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:19:19 -0500

D'oh....pedestrian immortality (though immorality is alive and well on 18th street on weekends)

DudeLooksLikeALady

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:19:07 -0500

D'oh....pedestrian immortality (though immorality is alive and well on 18th street on weekends)

DudeLooksLikeALady

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:18:32 -0500

I drive often through DC neighborhoods, and also walk in them too. MD and VA drivers are definately the worst for pedestrian awareness. In addition to being lost, their incidence of cell phone talking/map looking/parking spot crawling/general befuddledment is off the charts. I often dream of a MD/VA free day in DC....please City Council, just do it! However, DC pedestrians are generally arrogant a-holes who think the crosswalk has some sort of force field protecting them from all cars. I've seen people literally walk into moving (not accelerating from a stop) traffic on Connecticut Avenue. The screeching brakes sound was not a studio effect, and these fools are lucky to be alive. I much prefer these scare tactics to the stupid "Pedestrians Have Right of Way" signs the District mounted in the middle of the road a couple of years ago. Those things were road hazards and boosted an already overinflated sense of pedestrian immorality.

goat_boy

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:10:31 -0500

@ManekiNeko: if this were an lolcat, i would have just gone with: FAIL.

west

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:08:27 -0500

I'm gonna have to fault the driver on this one. If you look at the pedestrian's orientation he was clearly coming from across the street and the driver should have noticed A BRIGHT ASS green sweater walking there. No, I will not consider that it was a one way street or the pedestrian is jay walking. If there is one rule I live by, its to ALWAYS blame the fat guy with a mustache in the Chevy Aveo.

ManekiNeko

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:04:37 -0500

blittle: If you hit a pregnant nun in a wheelchair, you win the game!

Wizzyliz

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:01:02 -0500

I know I'm in good company when I agree 100% with all the postings here. But the neon green sweater hurts my eyes.

goat_boy

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:58:46 -0500

dudes wife was probably nagging him about heading up to the new target when he plowed into yuppie starbucks guy. in addition to the generic "pay attention" ad, there should be a series featuring people in situations likely to occur most often in the district: douchey bike messenger riding like a maniac, georgia ave jaywalker crossing against the light, etc.

IntangibleArts

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:56:26 -0500

NOT VIOLENT ENOUGH. Both drivers and pedestrians are living in a dangerous trance-state out there. Or worse, swaggering or cruising around with some arrogant assumption that the universe will pause to let their regal asses pass by. So please send this campaign back to the agency. I want to see limbs bent at impossible angles. A jawbone flying in a majestic arc over the car. I want to see an ocean of blood. Weeping witnesses. All that.

blittle

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:55:29 -0500

The passenger looks like she is cackling with delight and telling the driver whoo-hoo ten points while at the same time looking sort of disappointed that they hit a ped instead of a bicyclist. Cuz we all know that hitting a biker is worth 20 and one with fixed gears an nice 50.

GhettoBurbs

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:55:17 -0500

Is it just me or does this ad look like a DC yuppie reenactment of Death Proof? It's got everything, from the screaming chick in the passenger's seat, to the surprisingly calm stunt driver, the flying body parts, and the indestructible death mobile (c'mon, that flying corpse didn't even dent the car. It's still showroom shiny!). Though I've gotta admit, I'd rather get tagged by Kurt Russel in a souped-up Chevy Nova than some intern in a Dodge Neon. (I'll leave the definition of "tagged" up to the reader's imagination)

monkeyrotica

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:53:54 -0500

Yeah, it's more like some lazy-ass Charlie Brown sweater that can't even manage a zigzag. And checkout the driver; he's like, "Eat fiberglass, punk!" And his girlfriend is like, "Must.... protect... face!"

rudeskata

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:53:02 -0500

Its worth pointing out that driving with one hand on the wheel at 12 o'clock is one of the worst places in the event of a crash, that is if you like having front teeth.

IMGoph

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:48:42 -0500

monkey, that can't be a bill cosby sweater! there are only two colors on it. bill would never wear a sweater with such a simple pattern!

ManekiNeko

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:47:49 -0500

The ped's arm also blocks the look of smug self-satisfaction that was probably on their face, too. The typeface (font) used is a bit reminiscent of lolcat, though. I can haz stunt dubbl? Kthxbai!

IMGoph

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:45:21 -0500

way to go, mwcog, now all the cool kids are going to want to hood surf with a coffee in their hand. get in on the ground floor for this hip new trend!

monkeyrotica

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:44:26 -0500

I think that poster is every Starbucks hater's fantasy. And they need to Photoshop a Bluetooth headset on that guy. Also, Bill Cosby called. He wants his sweater back.

cactus jack

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:40:24 -0500

The cup of coffee is a nice touch. Minus two points, however, because any self-respecting coffee drinking gringo pedestrian in the District would also be wearing an ipod while talking on a cell phone.

RJ

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:39:59 -0500

Ummm....I have mixed feeling, yes drivers and pedestrians need to pay more attention; but the idea of running over some yuppie coming out of Starbucks does warm my heart.

3 toed Sloth

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:37:33 -0500

So does that car have MD or VA tags? Also, I don't see the cellphone in the driver's hand...