In a new advertisement broadcast on social networks, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) depicts a citizen dressed in a black coat crossing the street at an intersection when the pedestrian light allows it.

Further on, two interlocutors sitting on a park bench laugh at him. “I tell you that people crossing the street dressed in black, we see all the colors. […] So dress up so you can be seen, because going unnoticed in the street hurts a lot more […] Like, losing a leg,” they say. In another advertisement, the same interlocutors target motorists who commit a violation of the Highway Safety Code by not stopping at pedestrian crossings.

At the SAAQ, it is reported that the intent of the ad was to use humor, not to blame people for their clothing choices. “We are addressing motorists, we are addressing pedestrians. It is a collective responsibility, says Anne Marie Dussault Turcotte, public relations officer at the SAAQ. It’s under the sign of humor. This is to educate pedestrians to be seen, and to have eye contact with drivers before crossing. She acknowledges that the message is not to tell people how to dress or to blame the victims. “It’s a matter of visibility,” she says.

The 2019 Pedestrian Safety campaign is aimed at drivers and pedestrians to make them aware of the importance of:

• make eye contact at pedestrian crossings
• to respect the priority of pedestrians at pedestrian crossings
• to cross at pedestrian crossings

You can watch the video by clicking here.