According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 839 Americans lost their lives in car crashes involving a drunk driver in the December 2018 holiday season. To help make our roads safer during this time of year, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) today announced the 16th annual “Project Roadblock” initiative, in which local broadcast TV stations donate advertising time/space to support NHTSA and the Ad Council’s “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA campaign.
While the end of the year brings about the merriment of the holiday season, Americans must be sure to stay safe on the roads, whether traveling to and from parties or vacation destinations since drinking and driving remains a serious public safety issue: according to statistics from NHTSA, in 2018 drunk driving claimed 10,511 lives.
To help the campaign’s message reach those who could benefit most, Project Roadblock is conducting a special push to TV stations in the states that accounted for over two-thirds of all alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the 2018 holiday season: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
“Public service educational campaigns backed by tough laws and effective enforcement can save lives,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
For over a decade and a half, local broadcast TV stations have participated in Project Roadblock by airing Buzzed Driving Prevention PSAs during the six-day period between December 26 and 31.
For more information about Project Roadblock, visit tvb.org/projectroadblock, and follow the campaign online using hashtag #ProjectRoadblock on Facebook and Twitter.
NHTSA
For more than four decades, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has served as the key federal agency charged with improving safety on our nation’s roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA is working to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by promoting the use of safety belts and child safety seats; helping states and local communities address the threat of distracted, drunk and drug-impaired drivers; regulating safety standards and investigating safety defects in motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards; conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and providing consumer information on issues ranging from child passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information visit www.nhtsa.gov.
The Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.
TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. Its members include the U.S. television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium’s multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including its website, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.
