Public Communication Efforts

FUNDING State Year: July 1

Programmed Funding 2021: $800 thousand 2022: $800 thousand 2023: $800 thousand

CONTACT Elizabeth Weight, Director Communications Division eweight@utah.gov 801 580-2362

Communication programs improve safety and mobility by providing messages, real-time traffic information, and construction updates so road users can make wise travel choices.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

National statistics suggest that more than 70 percent of crashes involve distraction. In 2019, UDOT’s Zero Fatalities launched an aggressive campaign employing social media influencers who took UDOT’s message to hundreds of thousands of people within and outside of Utah.

During the winter of 2019-2020, UDOT launched an intensive social media outreach effort to deliver updates on traffic and weather for those who use the Cottonwood Canyons in northern Utah. This program is a pilot for possible similar outreach efforts in other ski areas and national parks in southern Utah.

Media outreach resulted in 4,629 print, online and broadcast stories, up significantly from last year. Eighty-seven percent of these stories were neutral, 10 percent were positive and only 3 percent were negative. Key coverage topics included the autonomous shuttle, an I-15 tanker fire and full freeway closure, and the success of the I-80 wildlife bridge in Parleys Canyon.

Caption: During the past year UDOT has worked hard to become a nationally recognized leader in the use of social media by a government agency. While we have been on social media for a number of years, during the past year we have stepped up our efforts to use social media as a way to reach people with important information, creating ads, posters and informative videos specifically for social media, such as the weekly traffic updates with John Gleason pictured above. Our social media presence on various platforms has grown significantly, with 20,921 followers on Facebook, 30,700 followers on Twitter, 2,814 followers on Instagram, 2,270 subscribers on YouTube and 985 followers on LinkedIn.

UDOT Traffic website and smart phone app: Provides live cameras, real-time traffic conditions, and statewide construction information. Special messages are integrated to communicate with diverse audiences. The UDOT Traffic App has been downloaded nearly 700,000 times.

Media Relations: Media coverage prior to major construction-related closures or long-term traffic impacts helps optimize mobility and showcase helpful innovations such as new intersection designs or variable speed limit signs.

TravelWise Outreach: Promoting trip reduction strategies like teleworking, carpooling or taking public transit, helps road users avoid delays, save energy, and help benefit air quality. New TravelWise Alerts, provided through the UDOT Traffic app, urge drivers to reduce trips during bad air quality days or major weather events.

Zero Fatalities: Messages attack drowsy driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, impaired driving and not buckling up, through powerful TV and radio ads, public events, websites, driver education classes and media coverage.