Occupant Protection

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

Rural Virginia men, ages 18–30, are dependable, practical, and look out for their families—but most still don’t wear seatbelts. They say things like, “I know these roads like the back of my hand,” or “My truck will protect me.”

From market research we learned that long-term injury scares this audience more than death, because it threatens their lifestyle and ability to provide for loved ones. We leaned into that insight with a single word—carrying two meanings—to hit the message where it would resonate most. And we did it without going dark or preachy: life keeps moving, and wearing your seatbelt means you’ll still be there to show up for the people who count on you.