Swardlick Marketing Group Helps New Partnership Work to Save Lives on Maine’s Highways

AUGUSTA, ME (February 9, 2007) — Swardlick Marketing Group was selected by The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, MaineDOT and the Maine Turnpike Authority to develop and launch a new campaign intended to reduce highway fatalities in the state. The three organizations have formed an alliance to educate Maine drivers on such highway safety issues as safety belts, excessive speed and driver distraction. The first communications initiative from this new partnership is a television campaign promoting the use of safety belts, and it launches this week on TV stations across the state.

The statewide campaign is part of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan for Maine that was developed in 2005 and 2006 following a Maine Safety Summit of state agencies, public safety professionals and other safety stakeholders. The plan identifies key areas of focus and the need for communications to educate drivers and elevate awareness of what they can do to improve highway safety for everyone.

“The safety belt campaign attacks the most common excuses that, according to research, people have for not using safety belts.” said Lauren Stewart, Director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. “Believing that a crash just won’t happen to you, thinking that safety belts aren’t needed for short trips close to home, or that they’re too restricting and uncomfortable are the kinds of excuses we need to overcome” added Brad Foley, Director of MaineDOT’s Safety Office. The safety belt campaign consists of two 30-second TV spots created by Swardlick Marketing Group of Portland, Maine. The spots portray the devastating impact of crashes on people’s lives, and through different experiences, stories of loss and regret that statistics show are avoidable in most cases through the proper use of safety belts.

Helping to make the case for safety belt use in the new TV spots are the following sobering facts:

• 80% of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and under 40 mph
• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for people under 35
• In a crash, your risk of injury is less when you are buckled in; if you are thrown from a vehicle, you are 25 times more likely to die
• Safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 45%

“We set out to create a powerful campaign,” stated Herb Thomson, Director of Communications for MaineDOT, “and these spots carry a very important and memorable message that is absolutely intended to save lives — a simple action can prevent a lifetime of regret.”

The campaign is funded through a combination of resources from federal and state highway safety and transportation departments and agencies, including the Maine Turnpike Authority. “This partnership of state departments and agencies makes it possible to undertake a meaningful statewide campaign” stated Dan Paradee, Manager of Public Affairs for the Maine Turnpike Authority. “What a great investment this is if we convince people to buckle-up and save lives. These ads have the power to make a difference.”

It is estimated that safety belt use in Maine is currently 77.2%, and is lower than the national average of 81%. The Maine Alliance for Safe Driving states “While statistics show that Maine’s highways, roads and streets are quite safe compared to other places, the occasion of any crash with serious injuries or fatalities serves to remind us all of the importance of safety every time we get in a car or truck.”