IDOT Launches Multimedia Safety Campaign
The Illinois Department of Transportation is launching "It's Not a Game," a multimedia safety campaign that drives home the message there are no extra lives, no respawns and no second chances to get it right when you are behind the wheel. “It's Not a Game" continues the comprehensive approach by IDOT to reduce injuries and fatalities associated with motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, seatbelt use, work zones as well as impaired and distracted driving.
“The rising number of traffic fatalities in Illinois and across the country is deeply concerning, especially since almost all of them are preventable," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “'It's Not a Game' is a clever way to reinforce the message that bad choices can cost you your life or someone else's and the only acceptable number of fatalities is zero."
The creative material relies on the appearance of an old-school video game platform to educate drivers that safety is not a game, comes with real consequences and everyone is a winner when “wreck-less" driving is the shared goal.
The campaign is running throughout the year on various media, including digital placement in bars, restaurants and gas stations, social media and online platforms, as well as traditional radio and TV channels. Ads will run in the 23 counties that are home to the majority of the state's population, with ones in Spanish airing in the Chicago market and appearing across social media channels. More information is available at www.itsnotagameillinois.com, where the public can follow the campaign and access additional resources.
An online quiz, itsnotagameillinois.com/roadsafetyquiz, also will inform drivers on safety statistics and provide them with results they can share on social media.
According to provisional data, 1,341 people died on Illinois roads in 2021, the sixth consecutive year of more than 1,000 traffic fatalities in the state, mirroring a national trend in recent years. This year, there have been 448 deaths in Illinois, based on preliminary statistics through May 31.
“It's Not a Game" is made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by IDOT.
SOURCE: IDOT news release.
