Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Pedestrian safety

Awful Pedestrian Shaming Campaign Gets the Smackdown It Deserves

Montgomery County, Maryland, used this ill-considered poster to blame pedestrians who are hit by cars. Photo: Montgomery County

This PSA from Montgomery County, Maryland, has got to be one of the all-time worst examples of pedestrian shaming. The young girl with tire treads across her face, it's implied, was struck and killed by a driver because she was "wearing black."

The message was the county's response to two recent pedestrian fatalities. According to the county, police will be ticketing drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists who break laws. The victim-blaming posters combined with the everyone-gets-fined approach to enforcement tells us this "safety campaign" won't make pedestrians any safer.

On Twitter, Colin Browne succinctly summed up what's wrong with Montgomery County's approach:

.@MontgomeryCoMD here I fixed it for you pic.twitter.com/yJKfUVcKKT

— Colin (@ColinTBrowne) November 3, 2016

Can Montgomery County replace its campaign imagery with Colin's version?

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Jump the Turnstiles

Transit agencies are checking fares and even fortifying entrances as they seek to alleviate fears of crime.

October 15, 2024

When Car Dependency Meets Climate Disaster

How does car dependency make weathering a storm harder, and what can we do about it? We sat down with two experts from the Urban Institute to find out.

October 15, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Make a Choice

The Urban Institute studied the past three presidential administrations and found they all had different transportation priorities.

October 14, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Are on the Ballot

There's a decent chance you live in a jurisdiction where transit funding is on the ballot this November.

October 11, 2024

The 1,000-Page Document That Decides Your Street Designs Just Got a Refresh

For better — or more often, for worse — a single federal document dictates what nearly every American street looks like. Meet the MUTCD.

October 11, 2024
See all posts