In an effort to curb traffic accidents, which typically increase with longer nights, New York is launching a 'dusk and darkness' ad campaign.
With winter coming to the northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and that means more danger for New York City pedestrians. Winnie Hu of The New York Times reports, "The weekday hourly average rate of severe injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians rose to 2.44 in mid-December, or nearly triple the average rate of 0.84 in August."
To address the issue, New York is embarking on a, "$ 1.5 million dollar 'dusk and darkness' safety campaign that will include radio and television advertisements." Hu describes how this ad campaign is part of New York's Vision Zero effort to curb traffic fatalities.
The problem of traveling after sundown strikes this author as one better solved through design than advertisements. Especially as it is an old, predictable, and universal issue that's unlikely to go away. This is the same safety campaign that inspired Alissa Walker to write a strong argument against "pedestrian shaming."
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