SDOT launches new campaign encouraging drivers to ‘Slow the Flock Down’

SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation and Portland Bureau of Transportation launched a new public safety campaign Monday that urges drivers to “Slow the Flock Down!”

The goal of the campaign is to raise public awareness about the 25 miles per hour speed limit in place on more than 90% of Seattle arterial streets.

“All bird puns and near expletives aside, speeding is no joke,” a blog post announcing the campaign reads in part. “Speed is the number one factor in the frequency and severity of crashes. How fast you’re driving influences your field of vision, how quickly you can react, and the amount of time it’ll take for you to come to a complete stop.”

SDOT says that participants of an online survey testing potential campaign language found the “Slow the Flock Down” message to be the most “memorable and effective” option, especially among the campaign’s focus demographic of younger men.

The campaign is part of Seattle’s Vision Zero strategy, which aims to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in the city by 2030.

Since the initiative began in 2015, 175 people have been killed and nearly 1,200 have been seriously injured in traffic crashes.

The speed limit campaign is the first of a two-part education effort funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, according to SDOT.

SDOT plans to share more about the next aspect of the campaign, which will focus on a state law that makes nearly all intersections legal crossings, regardless of whether there is a marked crossing, in the coming months.

In addition to public education efforts, SDOT has been working to change the physical design of streets, which it says is a proven way to calm speeds and significantly reduce injury crashes.

The attention-grabbing campaign can already be seen on billboards and bus advertisements throughout the city, as well as on social media.

Residents can pick up their own brightly-colored yard signs at six of the city’s customer service centers or in select community centers. A complete list of locations where the signs are available for pick-up can be found here.

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