Beware of the Beltless

An unbuckled passenger can increase your chance of being seriously injured or killed in a car crash by 40 percent – even if you are buckled up. The Colorado Department of Transportation asked Amélie to bring new life to their “Beware of the Beltless” campaign, now in its third year, to raise awareness about the dangers posed by unbuckled occupants. To spread this message, we partnered with Lyft to give customers a ride they wouldn’t forget. Cue lifeguard. There’s not a lot for him to do in the winter months, so he continues to guard lives by moonlighting as a Lyft driver, encouraging people to buckle up. A lifeguard sitting in the car was an unexpected surprise for our passengers, but so were the shocking statistics he shared about seat belt use in Colorado. Footage of the lifeguard’s interactions with passengers was captured via hidden camera and turned into a series of videos. The videos will run on social and digital media throughout the month of March to spread these important messages statewide. This entertaining take on an important topic caught the attention of local media, resulting in over a dozen news stories, and touched the lives of participants and viewers alike.