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DOT Launches Ad To Encourage Safety In Work Zones
Series Of Ads To Air Through Summer
UPDATED: 9:17 am CDT April 10,
2008
MADISON, Wis. -- As spring arrives, road construction is already in full swing, and the state Department of Transportation is taking an aggressive approach to get people to slow down in work zones.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe dome at the state Capitol is lit orange for National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, but the DOT is using a dramatic television public service announcement to help convince people to slow down, WISC-TV reported."The spot is very quiet, and it kind of puts you in the moment with a person who has just experienced something very, very powerful in his life," said Mike Goetzman, with the Department of Transportation.The commercial depicts a man getting out of his car, in shock. The man looks down to find a road construction worker lying in the road. There is no voiceover and no written message in the ad.DOT officials said that they hope this commercial will get people's attention and remind them to slow down in work zones."There's very few ways to communicate and educate the public about certain issues. One is the lecture method. And the other is through using emotions," Goetzman said.The commercial is the first in a series of hard-hitting ads that will air through the summer. Others feature stories of workers who survived near-fatal incidents."The truck was parked here, we had this lane closed off with cones, going right here. There was a car here, and a car here in this lane, and she went right through the cones and hit us right in the back of the truck," said Jeff Hansen, a construction worker from West Allis.Hansen lost both his legs when he was pinned between his truck and a speeding vehicle.Wisconsin averages more than a dozen fatalities in work zones each year and nearly 900 injuries, WISC-TV reported.DOT officials said they hope the safety campaign can help protect workers because they have little protection on the road."Often times, the only thing that protects a worker from traffic is the orange vest that he's wearing," Goetzman said.The awareness week includes more than just construction zones. Officials said that anywhere there are flashing lights, whether it be a police car, a garbage truck or a utility truck, constitutes a work zone.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe dome at the state Capitol is lit orange for National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, but the DOT is using a dramatic television public service announcement to help convince people to slow down, WISC-TV reported."The spot is very quiet, and it kind of puts you in the moment with a person who has just experienced something very, very powerful in his life," said Mike Goetzman, with the Department of Transportation.The commercial depicts a man getting out of his car, in shock. The man looks down to find a road construction worker lying in the road. There is no voiceover and no written message in the ad.DOT officials said that they hope this commercial will get people's attention and remind them to slow down in work zones."There's very few ways to communicate and educate the public about certain issues. One is the lecture method. And the other is through using emotions," Goetzman said.The commercial is the first in a series of hard-hitting ads that will air through the summer. Others feature stories of workers who survived near-fatal incidents."The truck was parked here, we had this lane closed off with cones, going right here. There was a car here, and a car here in this lane, and she went right through the cones and hit us right in the back of the truck," said Jeff Hansen, a construction worker from West Allis.Hansen lost both his legs when he was pinned between his truck and a speeding vehicle.Wisconsin averages more than a dozen fatalities in work zones each year and nearly 900 injuries, WISC-TV reported.DOT officials said they hope the safety campaign can help protect workers because they have little protection on the road."Often times, the only thing that protects a worker from traffic is the orange vest that he's wearing," Goetzman said.The awareness week includes more than just construction zones. Officials said that anywhere there are flashing lights, whether it be a police car, a garbage truck or a utility truck, constitutes a work zone.Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
