Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

Awful Pedestrian Shaming Campaign Gets the Smackdown It Deserves

Montgomery County, Maryland, used this ill-considered poster to blame pedestrians who are hit by cars. Photo: Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland, thought this was a good public safety message. Photo: Montgomery County
false

This PSA from Montgomery County, Maryland, has got to be one of the all-time worst examples of pedestrian shaming. The young girl with tire treads across her face, it's implied, was struck and killed by a driver because she was "wearing black."

The message was the county's response to two recent pedestrian fatalities. According to the county, police will be ticketing drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists who break laws. The victim-blaming posters combined with the everyone-gets-fined approach to enforcement tells us this "safety campaign" won't make pedestrians any safer.

On Twitter, Colin Browne succinctly summed up what's wrong with Montgomery County's approach:

.@MontgomeryCoMD here I fixed it for you pic.twitter.com/yJKfUVcKKT

— Colin (@ColinTBrowne) November 3, 2016

Can Montgomery County replace its campaign imagery with Colin's version?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Last Headlines of 2025

Because even though our analytics tell me almost none of you will read this, two weeks is too long to go without a stack.

December 30, 2025

Year in Review: What Gave Us Hope in a Dark 2025

Yes, this year was tough. Yes: we're still ending it with hope for the future.

December 29, 2025

Scofflaw Manufacturers Could Be The Downfall of E-bikes

If illegal e-motorcycles are the downfall of legitimate e-bikes, manufacturers and retailers should look themselves in the eye, not blame it on their customers.

December 23, 2025

Pre-Holiday Headlines

I kept all the storm headlines out, but spoiler: it's going to rain a lot in the next couple of days. Also, Waymo!

December 23, 2025
See all posts