CHALLENGE

18 to 30-year-old, rural-Virginian men: They’re dependable, altruistic, and practical…but don’t wear their seat belts. Their reasoning? “I know these roads like the back of my hand,” “I don’t pass many cars out here,” or “My truck will protect me.” But with such a prevalence in unrestrained, fatal crashes on rural roads, the Virginia DMV asked us to make a more compelling argument. 

THE MOVE

We found that this audience fears long-term injury more than they do death. Hello, compelling. To them, long-term injury would mean an impairment to their current lifestyle or the inability to provide for their loved ones. So, we used just one word and its two meanings to hit them where they’d feel it most: in this fear of not being able to show up for others. But not how you’re thinking—this is no fade-to-black PSA. Life keeps going when you wear your seat belt.