When you think of Emmy awards, you may think immediately of such fan favorites as “Ted Lasso,” “The Crown” or “This is Us.”

But there are also the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Rocky Mountain Chapter Emmy Awards, and we are thrilled to announce that the Arizona Department of Transportation was awarded the 2021 Emmy for best Public Service Announcement.

And while we at the Emmy Award-winning agency may be biased, we believe that our public awareness campaign, “Distracted Driver’s Terrify Me,” is highly entertaining as well as pointed.

ADOT’s Video Services team, John Dougherty, Russell Chase, Joe Larger and Charles Cull, conceptualized, planned, shot and edited entertaining and visually enthralling pieces with a snake wrangler, beekeeper, high-flying electric line worker, window washer and a rodeo clown.

Launched in English and Spanish in 2020, the campaign has been broadcast across Arizona on radio and television more than 32,000 times. It has also enjoyed a powerful presence on Facebook and Instagram, resulting in 193,181 social engagements.

Doug Pacey, Assistant Communications Director for Customer Outreach, managed the behind-the-scenes work, such as lining up subjects that were featured in the PSAs, securing shot locations and directing promotion through paid and earned media.

The ultimate goal: Create awareness and change driver behavior so that fewer drivers engage in terrifying distractions, and the roads are safer for everyone.

The 30-second PSAs feature fearless people performing jobs with elements of danger: A Phoenix Zoo snake handler, professional bullfighter, high-rise window cleaner, electrical line repairman and a beekeeper. We have included two of them to the right. You can see them all on our Distracted Drivers website here.  

You see these brave, charismatic figures easily handling bulls, bees, high heights and snakes. But what is the only thing that the fearless fear? Distracted drivers, of course!

"There were a lot of logistical challenges to creating this campaign, like working from the roof of a skyscraper, being up close and personal with rodeo bulls, snakes, thousands of bees and flying the drone near high power towers,” said John Dougherty, ADOT supervisor of Video Services.

The only casualty? Dougherty’s head, where he was stung by a bee.  

Why all the “buzz” about distracted driving? With more than 10,000 drivers involved in crashes who were engaged in distracted driving behavior in our state in 2019, it is a stark reminder how important it is to be a responsible driver when you get behind the wheel.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month. I wish we didn’t have to dedicate a month to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving. But with the number of crashes rising and the inattentive drivers we see daily on our roads, we need to call attention to this public safety issue.

At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we launched a distracted driving awareness campaign last year called “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.” The campaign features regular people doing jobs most of us would find frightening – a snake handler, to an electrical lineman, to a high-rise window washer. We now have added a beekeeper to the 30-second public service announcement videos. You can watch them at azdot.gov/terrify.

We need to change driver behavior – a message I have shared more than once. Being a responsible driver is the key to reducing the number of crashes and keeping our roadways safe for everyone. 

Don’t “bee” a distracted driver!

Officially, April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Unofficially, we all should be diligent about reducing distracted driving every day of the year.

In 2019 in Arizona, more than 10,000 drivers involved in crashes were engaged in distracted driving behavior. But the real number is potentially much higher because traffic safety stakeholders say some drivers don’t admit to being distracted or died in the crash.

Earlier this year, civil penalties for violations of Arizona’s hands-free law went into effect. Drivers who talk or text on a device that is not engaged in hands-free mode may receive a fine between $75 and $149 for the first violation and subsequent violations can be as much as $250.

While ADOT doesn’t police roadways for distracted drivers, we’re doing our part to increase awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. We’ve created a series of off-beat public service announcements that feature people doing activities most of us find terrifying.

What do the fearless fear? Distracted drivers, of course.

All of ADOT’s distracted driving PSAs can be found at azdot.gov/terrify.

Around the country this week, traffic safety stakeholders are recognizing National Teen Driver Safety Week. Count the Arizona Department of Transportation among them.

Earlier this month, ADOT launched the distracted driving awareness campaign, “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.” The campaign, especially the 30-second videos, was designed to reach a younger audience, including teen drivers. How many other distracted driving campaigns have you seen that feature a venomous snake handler or rodeo bullfighter? Check out all four videos at azdot.gov/terrify.

Let’s be honest: it’s not easy to engage people about safe-driving habits. Everyone knows it’s dangerous to speed, drive impaired or distracted. But people still do these things and they’re among the leading factors in fatal crashes every year. At ADOT, we try to come at these issues from unconventional angles. That’s one of the reasons we display quirky traffic safety messages on our overhead signs. We hope that by being a bit different, the message will resonate with drivers.

We’re trying something new with our distracted driving campaign. To help engage teens in the distracted driving conversation, we've created a couple ways they – or anyone – can contribute on social media. 

Instagram

Teens on Instagram can promote and participate in our campaign by adding a sticker to their stories that says, "Distracted Drivers are Terrifying." You can find ADOT Instagram stickers by searching “ArizonaDOT” on Instagram or visit our verified Giphy channel at giphy.com/ArizonaDOT. We also have video instructions on how to find and use stickers in our Instagram highlight named “Stickers.”

Facebook

To add a frame to your profile picture on a desktop computer:

1. Go to facebook.com/profilepicframes.
2. Click this link.  
3. Click "Change Picture" to save the frame to your profile.

To add a frame to your profile picture on a mobile device:

1. Click on this link. 
2. Click "Change Frame.”
3. Tap "Use as Profile Picture." 

Driver behavior is a leading factor in more than 90% of crashes.  Distracted driving is just one of the primary contributors to the rising number of traffic incidents on our roadways … the other factors are speeding, impairment and aggressive driving. Being a responsible driver is the key to reducing the number of crashes and keeping our roadways safe for everyone.

The Arizona Department of Transportation looks for creative ways to communicate our messages to drivers, to behave responsibly behind the wheel. You are familiar with our safety message contest. We receive thousands of entries and select two or three that appear on our electronic message boards statewide. The messages tell drivers to be responsible behind the wheel.

Bringing attention to distracted driving required the same creative mindset. Last week, we launched a distracted driving awareness campaign, “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.”  I highly recommend that you watch the first of three 30-second public service announcement videos at azdot.gov/terrify. The campaign features regular people doing jobs most of us would find frightening – a snake handler to an electrical lineman.

The bottom line is this – we need to change driver behavior. We need everyone to be responsible drivers. Put down the phone. Don’t play with the radio dial. Don’t take your eyes off the road. Be responsible. 

Right now, distracted drivers terrify me!