DENVER — Jaywalking is no laughing matter. Especially if you’re hit by a car.
In Colorado, crossing the street illegally is a big problem.
Last year there were 1,453 pedestrian crashes. Of those, there were 293 that resulted in serious injuries and 65 people were killed. All just crossing the street.
The biggest offender? Males 20-30 years old according the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT wants to reduce these numbers and the agency just launched an awareness campaign on YouTube called “Hank’s How to Get Hit By A Car.”
The campaign, which cost taxpayers around $200,000, is described as a parody of a 1970s infomercial, using sarcasm to make the point that jaywalking is dangerous.
There are four comedy-inspired videos in total, but CDOT is hoping that the Hank video drives home the point.
Whether CDOT’s campaign is successful or not, only time will tell, but mom’s advice is still the best: Look both ways before you cross the street and cross in the crosswalk.