Life or Death Ad Campaign

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has spent over $5 million during the past year on its Life or Death media campaign aimed at reducing the number of fatal car accidents that occur on the state’s highways and interstates. More than 1,000 people die each year in Illinois car accidents caused by reckless driving, which includes cell phone usage, texting, speeding, drowsy driving, and failure to obey traffic signs and signals.

The campaign used television advertisements, billboards, social media sites, and jumbotrons, along with radio and print advertisements to get their message across. Real life pictures, videos, and statements of victims and their surviving family members are used in the advertisements and public service announcements to raise awareness.

Consequences of Unsafe Driving

In one television advertisement, a 38-year-old father of three young children talks to his infant daughter as he gives her a bath. The man was killed in 2012 when he was struck by a car as he worked to paint lane lines on a state road. In another advertisement, a 67-year-old musician speaks about the value of friendship while he holds his prized guitar. He was killed when a 15-year-old driver hit him as he waited on his bicycle to cross the street at a red light. His wife submitted the video to encourage others to drive safely.

In another heart wrenching video, a 59-year-old construction worker sings one of his favorite songs as he smiles broadly. He was killed as he worked on a construction site on one of the state’s highways near O’Hare International Airport. A speeding motorist crashed into him as he stood at his post, flagging cars to alert them of the road construction ahead.

Other ads on billboards and social media sites feature pictures of victims with descriptions of how they were killed in roadway car crashes. One of these victims is pitching at a college baseball game while another shows a person playing the trumpet. In other photos, a young victim holds a kitten, a woman sings karaoke, and another shows a mother with her children after their father was killed by a reckless driver.

Life or Death Ad Campaign Uses Pictures

The Life or Death media campaign advertisers say they solicited input from the victims and families directly affected by roadway deaths to hit the emotional side of their audience. Using pictures of real victims grabs more attention and response from viewers than a list of statistics. The media campaign coordinators used old family videos and pictures of actual victims as the basis of their campaign. The advertising strategy is referred to as the identifiable victim effect, and is used to pull the viewer into a situation that could happen to them or one of their loved ones. Putting a face and name to a statistic helps bring the full impact of their death to life.

Edwardsville Car Wreck Lawyers at The Cates Law Firm, LLC Represent Victims Injured in Car Accidents

If you or someone you love was injured in a car wreck, call the Edwardsville car wreck lawyers at The Cates Law Firm, LLC today. Call us at 618-277-3644 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We will fight to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Located in Swansea, Illinois, we serve clients throughout Belleville, Carbondale, East St. Louis, Granite City, Edwardsville, Chester, Waterloo, St. Louis, Madison County, St. Clair County, Monroe County, and Randolph County.