DOT’s ‘BLOTTO’ Anti-DWI Posters Surface on Lower East Side
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You may have come across these eye-catching pads of tear-off flyers in your neighborhood travels. We’ve spotted one affixed to a traffic sign beside the Municipal car park on Broome Street. Written in all-caps lettering is the word BLOTTO (slang for drunk driver) beneath a Rorschach-esque inkblot by artist John Morse. The image itself depicts two cars smashing into the base of a martini glass.
This creative community outreach is actually part of a pro-social initiative devised by the Department of Transportation to help educate New Yorkers on the dangers of drinking and driving. The campaign first launched back in May, but was limited predominantly to the outer boroughs. These placements seem to be the first foray into Manhattan … just in time for the end of summer.
On Friday afternoon, the city agency installed an additional 2,000 posters at 40 “high DWI crash locations” throughout the Five Boroughs.
However, the campaign goes beyond simple street marketing. The DOT also designed a companion website and mobile app to help spread awareness. These platforms allow users, presumably those who are drunk, to seek out nearby car services by inputting their addresses.
Anyway, if you like Morse’s inkblot, head over to the parking lot while supplies last.
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