Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) recently awarded Blueprint Creative Group with a strategic marketing communications contract to launch and execute a robust education and awareness campaign for the Vision Zero program. The aim is to encourage behavior change among motorists, pedestrians and cyclists and promote safer streets to ultimately eliminate traffic fatalities on Nashville roads. The $2 million contract has been awarded for a period of thirty-six months with an option to extend to sixty months. Vision Zero is a national program that has been adopted by cities in response to increasing traffic crashes. 

“One traffic fatality is too many and can be prevented with safer driving practices, more effective road engineering and greater education and awareness about each individual’s responsibility to make Nashville’s roads safer. So we’re excited to support NDOT with developing a multimedia campaign to change risky motorist and pedestrian behaviors in support of the city’s Vision Zero goal,” shares Fabiola Fleuranvil, CEO of Blueprint Creative Group. “Our strategy is to implement a public health approach and incorporate evidenced-based strategies that have proven to work in reducing traffic fatalities in other markets.”

NDOT, formerly Metro Public Works, developed the Vision Zero Action Plan in response to alarming statistics that show that Nashville’s roads are increasingly becoming more dangerous year after year. Since 2014, 468 people have lost their lives to fatal traffic collisions on state and local roads in Nashville. In an average year, 360 people driving, 75 people walking, and 8 people biking are killed or seriously injured on Nashville roads. Vision Zero aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2050. The program is funded with $25 million engineering and enforcement and $1 million towards education and awareness.

The scope of work for this contract encompasses a multifaceted approach toward raising awareness and fostering active participation from the entire community. Blueprint Creative Group will craft a long-term strategic communications plan and media strategy to drive widespread awareness, promote positive social norms and change risky behaviors. The campaign also includes a comprehensive brand strategy to instill a sense of collective responsibility toward traffic safety. In addition to engaging the broader public, Blueprint will design specific educational programming and materials tailored to key stakeholders such as public events, neighborhoods, community groups, government, and non-profit partners. The agency will also play an instrumental role in crafting educational content for school outreach, ensuring the Vision Zero message reaches the younger generation to create a lasting impact on future transportation practices.

This contract between Blueprint Creative Group and Nashville DOT holds tremendous promise for igniting positive change on the roads of the vibrant city as this collaboration seeks to foster a collective commitment to traffic safety and ensure a safer and more equitable transportation environment for all.