Montreal police are looking to get drivers to pay attention while behind the wheel with a new eye-catching campaign.
As of Monday morning and continually over the next week, a massive LED screen along with a pedestrian carrying a sign will be slowing down traffic on D’Iberville Street.
“We want drivers to avoid all distractions, put the phone down, don’t touch the radio. Be concentrated on your driving,” SPVM spokesperson Jean-Bruno Latour said.
Motorists first see the pedestrian crossing the street carrying a sign urging them to be vigilant.
Further down the road at the next intersection of D’Iberville Street and Rosemont Boulevard, the same pedestrian is seen on the jumbo screen lying on the ground as if having been struck by a car.
The shocking advertisement is meant to illustrate to drivers the devastating realities of a collision with vulnerable road users.
“We want the drivers to really see the truck, to see the situation and be aware that it is dangerous. You have to be careful and use extra caution while behind driving,” Latour said.
The newly unveiled safety campaign is part of the National Pedestrian Safety Month.
The chosen intersection in Rosemont was the scene of a fatal collision in 2016 when a 24-year-old woman died after being hit by a container truck on her way home from work.
Twelve pedestrians have died in 22 collisions on Montreal streets this year so far, according to Latour.