MEDIA ADVISORY – August 7, 2020
Contact: Maya Rosas, Director of Policy
310-804-5256 | [email protected]
Crash Not Accident San Diego Campaign Launched To Raise Awareness for Traffic Safety
Yesterday, nonprofit think tank Circulate San Diego launched a month-long Crash Not Accident campaign with an educational panel. In the month of August, Circulate will be releasing shareable PSA graphics, installing signs across San Diego to draw attention to residents who lost their lives to traffic violence, and asking the public to pledge to say “crash,” not “accident.” (Campaign graphics and photos available here)
Crash Not Accident is a campaign to educate members of the media and the public about our role preventing traffic deaths and serious injuries by acknowledging that crashes are not merely accidents but the result of human error and systemic decisions. The term “accident” can lead people to believe that crashes are inevitable, whereas they can actually be prevented with careful driving, safe street design, and other Vision Zero principles.
The Crash Not Accident panel on August 6th included local journalists and national and local experts Leah Shahum (Vision Zero Network), Andrew Bowen (KPBS), Colin Parent (Circulate San Diego) Maya Rosas (Circulate San Diego). The panel can be viewed here.
The Associated Press Stylebook articulates why #CrashNotAccident is important for residents, reporters, and local government to adopt the word “crash” instead of “accident.” According to the Stylebook, the word accident “can be read as exonerating the person responsible.”
A selection of Circulate’s Crash Not Accident PSA graphics are attached. More can be found here.
Learn more and sign the pledge at www.CirculateSD.org/CrashNotAccident.
About Crash Not Accident Campaign
Crash Not Accident is a campaign led by Circulate San Diego, with funding from California Office of Traffic Safety.
About Circulate San Diego
Circulate San Diego is a regional nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing mobility and making the region a better place to move, work, learn and play. Our work focuses on creating great mobility choices, more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods, and land uses that promote sustainable growth. For more information, go to www.circulatesd.org.
###
