New crossing safety PSA by Portlandia producer pits ‘pedestrians vs. cars’

Be a safe pedestrian; Make sure you look both ways, and then look again #LookFirstWalkSecond https://t.co/3xy513wrlS http://pic.twitter.com/HnBvwxC9gP

— Clackamas County, OR (@clackamascounty) August 8, 2017

“Look first, walk second” is the main slogan backing up a new safety PSA campaign that aims to raise awareness about the “unsafe behaviors of today’s pedestrians.”

The video was created by Portlandia executive producer David Cress as part of a partnership spearheaded by Oregon State Representative Jeff Reardon. Reardon, whose district includes Happy Valley and east Portland, also worked with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Clackamas County Commission, Clackamas Community College and marketing agency 3/Thirds.

Graphic that displays at end of video.

The film and companion website has a darkly humorous take on the issue. Five characters who are meant to represent typical walkers are portrayed as being part of a sporting event that takes place on an automobile race track. The walkers are introduced as irresponsible caricatures and are given nicknames like: “The Autopilot” who is “rarely paying full attention to the traffic”; the “Social Justice Walker” who, “assumes they have the right of way”; the “Walk & Roller” who is “distracted by phones, friends, kids, etc”; the “Logically Impaired” who “is intoxicated or high, and not thinking clearly”; and “The Jaywalker” who, “crosses against red lights or in places without crosswalks.”

“Stand on any city intersection for a period of time,” the website says, “and you’ll see a recurring set of dangerous and/or unknowing behaviors that can potentially lead to pedestrian-car collisions.”

The video ends when “the drunk guy” is run over by a black Ford Mustang that squeals its tires and speeds down the racetrack prior to the collision. Then the screen flashes with this ominous stat: “Every 8 minutes a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle… The car always wins.”

Still from the video.

Putting the blame for roadway injuries and deaths on people who use feet to get around is very controversial in transportation reform circles. After Honolulu passed a distracted walking law last month, Streetsblog wrote:

In some quarters it’s almost become an article of faith that pedestrian deaths are on the rise in the U.S. because of “distracted walking.” The victim-blaming impulse allows policymakers, opinion shapers, and the broader public to conveniently avoid honestly confronting our car-centric transportation system and the horrific volume of death and misery it generates… If the Honolulu bill passes, it could simply serve as a pretext for arbitrarily harassing pedestrians. And as Systemic Failure notes, it could even increase traffic risks by creating a more permissive atmosphere for driving behaviors that pose a greater threat.

We’ve asked Oregon Walks Executive Director Noel Mickelberry for her response and will update the story if we hear back.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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