National Campaign Strategy

Project Look Out’s goals are to implement a media campaign to draw heightened attention to pedestrian safety, placing special emphasis on improving pedestrian safety in lower-income, under-resourced, urban neighborhoods where pedestrian casualty rates are disproportionately high.

For October 2023, National Pedestrian Safety Month, Project Look Out will launch three new campaigns, building off of our educational content from 2022.

Take the Reins — this campaign will draw on western themes to present messaging in ways that are interesting, pithy, and in line with the current resurgence of “cowboy” visuals.
“Welcome to the Neighborhood” — centered around 6 diverse personas, this campaign draws on nostalgia and that neighborly closeness to shape pedestrian and driver safety messaging.
Revamped Educational Content — drawing from the work started by our team in 2023, this campaign’s goal is to provide our audience with key takeaways about pedestrian safety and driver awareness.

The distracted driving prevention space is predominantly occupied by government agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and private organizations in the auto industry. It’s really easy to overlook the dangers of distracted driving, just as it is the motivation behind preexisting messaging. Regardless of the messenger, the messages are largely the same. Campaigns push consequence-driven narratives that aim to motivate behavior change by saying, “if you don’t change how you use the road, you’re going to cause something bad to happen.” While this strategy successfully shows audiences distracted driving’s dangers and outcomes, it fails to enable change—and thus, drivers and pedestrians alike treat the problem as if it is not theirs.

We’re not trying to just blaming our drivers and pedestrians, we want both sides to realize that this a problem that is worth solving for all of us. Using behavior change theory and models, our narratives are validated, fun, and designed to be engaged with a wide audience, on Instagram and TikTok.

What makes us different?

Every 75 minutes, a pedestrian is struck and killed on a US road. Responsibility for pedestrian safety falls on each of us. Whether you’re driving a car or crossing a street, get off the phone and look out for danger. Let’s make sure everyone gets where they’re going in one piece. #roadsafety #childsafety #publichealth

Serious crashes aren’t inevitable— they’re preventable. This is on all of us. Do your part. Be the change. #roadsafety #pedestriansafety #publichealth

Experts say children under 10 aren’t ready to cross a street by themselves, but parents should start to model safe traffic skills for their kids. #teachyourchildren #roadsafety

It takes every cowpoke to keep the road safe. The next time you’re out for a sidewalk saunter or roam on the road, pay attention to your fellow travelers. Not your screen. #pedestriansafetymonth #drive #walk #road #cowboy #cowpoke

What does it take to get hoke safely, for everyone? Play and find out! #play #pedestriansafety #projectlookout

Drinking is dangerous for everybody on the road. If you’re walking, you’re also at risk for getting hurt in a crash. When you go out, make a plan to get home safe. Period. #road #roadsafety #home #projectlookout

Whether you’re on the sidewalk or behind the wheel, there are plenty of people and places to see without your screen. Don’t let your phone get you off track. #pedestriansafetymonth #phone #road #rodeo #projectlookout