The city of Toronto is zeroing in the artifacts of pain and loss in the hopes of making you pay closer attention on the road.
The public awareness campaign called 'Art of Distraction' puts personal items belonging to pedestrians and cyclists hit by vehicles or replicas of them on display at transit shelters, in print and television ads as well as social media posts. There is also a radio component to the campaign.
The images are striking-- A dented helmet. A twisted bike wheel. A girl's backpack and its contents being thrown into the air.
City of Toronto
And then there's the stark trio of a wallet, a set of keys and a wedding ring.
They belong to Tom Samson, a teacher, husband and father of two who died in 2012 after being hit by two vehicles.
"I am hopeful that this will continue the conversation and raise the conversation to the next level," Samson's widow Kasia Briegmann-Samson told reporters Tuesday. "The same thing had to happen with drinking and driving and that took many decades to get to the point where legislation was changed and stronger deterrents were put in place.
Siobhan Morris/NEWSTALK 1010
Over the last five years, 190 pedestrians and 16 cyclists have been killed in collisions with drivers on Toronto streets. The death toll has continued to tick higher despite numerous public awareness campaigns and road design changes.
"I'm not frustrated," says Barbara Gray, General Manager of Toronto Transportation Services.
"We need to get the message out. It's our responsibility...from an engineering and an education and an enforcement component."
Gray believes that the personal destruction crashes needs to be brought to light in order to change behaviour.
The 'Art of Distraction' campaign continues until mid-December.