"A radio commercial about people dying doesn't have to be cute."
The opening lines of the Kansas Department of Transportation's new "Drive to Zero" PSA hope to grab your attention and slow you down, especially if you travel the busy Lenexa to Lawrence K-10 corridor.
"In fact, speeding is such a factor on Highway K-10 that we're buying air time to tell you," claims the 30-second radio spot.
The 27-mile route averages more than two fatal crashes a year. In 2011, KDOT installed rumble strips and a paved shoulder. In 2014, KDOT installed two 1-mile long median barrier cables to try and bring down head-on collisions leading to many of the deadly crashes.
The ad claims 25 percent of fatal crashes on Kansas roads are speed related.
The spot closes saying, "Stop speeding. Because on the drive to zero fatalities, you are in the driver's seat."
The radio ad will run for a month. The campaign's messaging will also go on JoCo buses traveling the KU to KC route.
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
