Before the first dispatch to the scene. Before the fire trucks and the ambulances and the CPR. Before the rush through the ER doors. Before an officer delivers the news no family wants to hear. There are decisions to be made. Make the right ones.
Buckle up. Slow down. Drive sober.
That’s the message Virginia first responders deliver in a powerful new ad campaign from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). DMV picks up its perennial Local Heroes series with a play-by-play of a crash scene, acted out by real Virginia firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement officers and nurses.
“The vast majority of crashes – and the horrific injuries and tragic deaths they cause – are fully preventable with safe driving,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “Our first responders are passionate about getting this message out to Virginians because they know, if heeded, it will save lives. Please buckle up, slow down and drive sober, whether you’re driving five miles or 500.”
In 2023, 335 people who weren’t wearing their seat belt were killed in crashes in Virginia. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says proper seat belt use reduces the chance of suffering a fatal injury in a crash by nearly half. In Virginia, one-in-four people don’t wear a seat belt, according to NHTSA’s 2023 seat belt use survey. The same year, 449 people died in crashes involving speed and 293 died in alcohol-related crashes across Virginia.
This year’s Local Heroes campaign features first responders from Goochland County Fire/EMS, Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Beach General Hospital and Virginia Beach EMS. The multimedia initiative, which includes local and cable TV and radio spots, as well as social and digital media placements, demonstrates to the motoring public that first responders care about their communities and want them to get home safely.
The Local Heroes campaign, produced by Two Tango and Brian Camp Pictures, will run throughout Virginia through August 12. For more highway safety information, visit dmv.virginia.gov/safety. To view the Local Heroes video, visit DMV’s YouTube page.
~ Virginia DMV
