WNKY News 40 Celebrates 20 Years of Saving Lives with Project Roadblock

”Project Roadblock” Initiative continues Support for “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” Campaign

BOWLING GREEN, Ky — In Kentucky, 806 lives were lost to drunk driving in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), making it one of the deadliest states for drunk driving fatalities. To help make our roads safer during the holiday season, WNKY News 40 is participating in the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)’s 20th annual “Project Roadblock” initiative, in which local broadcast TV stations donate airtime to support NHTSA and the Ad Council’s “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA (public service advertising) campaign.

For two decades, local broadcast TV stations have participated in Project Roadblock by airing Buzzed Driving Prevention PSAs during the concentrated six-day period between December 26 and 31, with a special push at 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve. WNKY News 40 has been proud to participate in Project Roadblock since 2015.

2022 was a highly successful year for Project Roadblock. Last year’s Project Roadblock secured nearly 150 local business sponsors for Project Roadblock PSAs. Since Project Roadblock’s inaugural year in 2004, TV stations across the nation have donated over $181 million in media value to support this effort, amounting to nearly 7.3 billion total impressions. 2023 has already seen a robust commitment from TV stations across the country.

This year’s local campaign is presented by J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Chapels & Crematory and Landmark Recovery.

For more information about Project Roadblock, visit tvb.org/projectroadblock, and follow the campaign online using hashtag #ProjectRoadblock on Facebook and Twitter.

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DATA SOURCE
NHTSA.gov: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving

The Ad Council
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change around the most pressing issues in America. Since the non-profit’s founding, the organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country’s most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Love Has No Labels, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. With a current focus on mental health, gun safety, the opioid epidemic, skill-based hiring and other critical issues, the Ad Council’s national campaigns encompass advertising and media content, ground game and community efforts, trusted messenger and influencer engagement, and employer programs, among other innovative strategies to move the needle on the most important issues of the day.

In November 2022, the Ad Council announced a new Mental Health Initiative, uniting brands, marketers, media companies and nonprofits to address the mental health crisis throughout the U.S. at scale. With a founding investment from Huntsman Mental Health Institute, the multi-year initiative aims to change social norms and create a society that is more open, accepting and proactive when it comes to mental health.
To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, and view campaign creative on YouTube.

TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. Its members include the U.S. television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium’s multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including its website, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.

NHTSA
For more than four decades, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has served as the key federal agency charged with improving safety on our nation’s roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA is working to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by promoting the use of safety belts and child safety seats; helping states and local communities address the threat of drunk drivers; regulating safety standards and investigating safety defects in motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards; conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and providing consumer information on issues ranging from child passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information, visit http://www.nhtsa.gov.