Oregon DOT launches ‘Safétymon Go’ campaign

Safetywhirl is one of 11 characters created by ODOT to encourage road safety.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has a response to the uptick of fatal and serious injury crashes on their roads: a new safety campaign that piggy-backs on the popularity of the Pokémon Go game and is timed to coincide with back-to-school season.

It’s called Safétymon Go and it comes with the tagline: “Safety is nothing to poké fun at!”

The Oregonian calls the new campaign, “groan-inducing.”

“Just in time for back-to-school,” reads a press statement about the new campaign delivered to media this morning, “members of the “Safétymon Go” family are focusing their messages on traveling safely: to and from school, in school zones, near college campuses and sports fields, and around other gathering spots and busy locations.”

There are 11 characters in all, each available in poster form on the ODOT website. They have silly names and associated safety attributes like: Safetoise, “Always look left-right-left before crossing streets”; Psafetyduck, “Always wear a helmet when you are riding your bike!”; and Safetykarp, “Be aware of your surroundings”.

Safetychu!

The Safetychu character wears an ODOT safety hat and a vest. His message is all about school zones. Here’s how ODOT describes it:

Safetychu proudly wears an ODOT hard hat – as if he were in a work zone, but instead he’s in a school zone and he wants you, drivers, to SLOW DOWN in school zones! Students, pay attention when you are traveleing to and from school. Make eye contact with drivers when you are crossing the street. And when it starts getting dark, wear bright clothing like the safety vest Safetychu is wearing. Be safe and have fun!

Catch them all!

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

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