Getting to ‘Know’: Tools Helping DOTs Reach People During Emergencies

Winter is coming and for state DOTs that means preparing to clear roads and assist motorists. Public information campaigns for years have focused on helping motorists “know before you go” by checking web sites and apps for the latest road condition and weather information. Additionally, officials have urged motorists to winterize their vehicles and to carry emergency supplies.

Traffic backed up on Interstate 5 in Vancouver, Wash., in Feb. 2019. Courtesy WSDOT licensed under CC BY 2.0.

But sometimes things happen – a sudden storm or natural disaster – that are so unforeseen that the transportation system is tied up and motorists are stranded. What communication strategies are in place for those situations?

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A thorough look at how state DOTs use online public involvement

One of the most exciting opportunities offered to government agencies by social media was the potential to increase how well they communicated with the general public. After more than 10 years of Facebook and Twitter, and dozens of other social media channels, the question is worth asking: Are we any better at engaging with the public than we were at the turn of the century?

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program recently published a look at common state department of transportation practices related to online public involvement.

State departments of transportation, and other state and local transportation agencies have long used social media channels to communicate about road conditions, transit disruptions, weather impacts, project meetings and safety messaging. In fact, we celebrate many of their efforts here at Talking Transportation, highlighting the bold, the funny, the thoughtful and the impacting.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll suggest that government agencies are doing a good job of sharing information about the basic elements of operating a transportation system.

Driver Alert: Humor Highlights Award-Winning Virginia PSA

Each year, the AASHTO Committee on Transportation Communications known as TransComm, hands out awards to state DOTs for outstanding communication, advertising and marketing campaigns and tactics.

One of the 2019 honorees, a public service announcement produced by the Virginia Department of Transportation, used humor to capture drivers’ attention and raise awareness for an annual challenge.

Virginia DOT used humor to remind motorists to watch out for deer.

During deer mating season, drivers have a much higher chance of encountering deer in the roadway, especially during dawn and dusk when visibility is lessened.

According to the VDOT award entry, more than 60,000 vehicle crashes involving deer took place last year. VDOT posted the PSA on Facebook, reaching more than 99,800 users. The 30-second video was shared 652 times on Facebook. It’s been viewed more than 24,000 times.

Congratulations to VDOT for using humor to highlight a serious safety issue for drivers.

The hottest new tactic for transportation agencies is podcasts? Yes, podcasts!

It may be hard to believe, but one of the hottest media tactics is podcasting. And several transportation departments and trade associations have developed podcasts as a way to reach what experts says is a still growing audience.

According to “The Podcast Consumer 2019,” a report published by Edison Research earlier this year, 22 percent of people age 12 and older listen to podcasts weekly, and nearly a third of people listen to podcasts monthly.

Edison’s report finds that the audience share for podcasting has grown a whopping 122 percent since 2014. And, young people age 12-24 are among the largest consumers of podcasting.

Music Oomph has compiled a host of interesting statistics on podcasting.

Where have you been?

By now, you might have noticed that the The Talking Transportation blog has been silent for a couple of years. I sincerely apologize for being away.

Honestly a few things conspired to sap my enthusiasm for this project. First, my son was nearing the end of his high school years. He was active in school sports, choir and other extracurricular activities. I didn’t want to miss a thing. Second, a close family member was diagnosed with cancer and quite a bit of mental and spiritual energy went into support during the past few years. And, finally, I decided to take my passion for endurance sports to a new level, completing three Ironman races since 2017.

Lloyd Brown transitioning from the swim during the 2018 Ironman Florida in Haines City, Fla.

Needless to say, my schedule has been busy.

But, while the blog has been dormant, the transportation industry has continued to pursue transparency and accountability through good communications with the traveling public. There truly is a renaissance underway as transportation leaders increasingly embrace new tools and tactics that refocus outreach on the users of the transportation system.

My goal in the coming weeks and months is to highlight those innovations, and the creative strategies and tactics being put into practice.

I hope to show good work, discuss the challenges associated with that work, and, ultimately, give you a reason to come back to the Talking Transportation blog.

New AASHTO Report Shows State DOT Social Media Trends

It was only a handful of years ago that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, my work-day employer, began polling its member state departments of transportation about their growing implementation of social media tools.

 

In 2009, less than half of states used Facebook and then most were tepid in their level of engagement. The dominant tool for state DOTs was Twitter, but it was used almost exclusively for sharing roadway traffic conditions and emergency information.

Colorado DOT’s ‘Ballpark Guessing’ Aims to Get Everyone Safely Home

The difference between outstanding and blah sometimes comes in subtle ways. In this powerful video posted recently by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the excellence is obvious – if you look.

The video takes place at a baseball stadium. The host interviews people, asking them how much alcohol they have consumed. Then, she asks each person whether they would be willing to drive. Then, she has them use a personal breathalyzer to test their blood alcohol level.