You may be ambivalent about Taylor Swift’s new single “Look What You Made Me Do,” but there’s no denying the song’s quick cultural impact. Case in point: the Iowa state government is using the song’s lyrics in its texting and driving warnings. This is Taylor’s biggest honor yet, right?
HelloGiggles reports that drivers began seeing Taylor-related signs earlier this week as part of the state’s Zero Fatalities campaign. The campaign’s webpage says, “We’ve identified some of the most dangerous behaviors that are killing people on Iowa’s roads. They are speeding, driving impaired, driving distracted, driving drowsy and not buckling up.”
In what was likely an attempt to tackle the issue of driving distracted, a sign was released in the state reading, “Old Taylor can’t come to the phone…she’s driving.”
If you don’t get the message today – ask the nearest millennial. https://t.co/RnUAg8GpyS pic.twitter.com/GPSVXQ1WI9
— Iowa DOT (@iowadot) October 2, 2017
Although it’s legal in Iowa to use a cell phone for talking or navigating while driving, the Zero Fatalities campaign wants to make clear that it isn’t very safe to do so. According to provided statistics, a simple glance at one’s phone normally equates to more than four seconds. 37 percent of the brain activity also turns away from the task of driving when you’re looking at your phone, ultimately making a texting driver three times more likely to cause an accident.
Having lost over 200 people so far in distracted driving cases this year, Iowa is definitely putting in the effort to spread the word of texting and driving’s dangers. However, this isn’t the first time the state has utilized pop culture references to call attention to driving mishaps. The government has also posted Ghostbusters, Star Wars and Pokemon Go parallels in the past.
Although I give points for creativity, signs like this could be another screen to distract drivers. How many people taking these people are also driving alone in their cars? Still, props to Taylor for being such of an influence that she’s helping to save lives on the road.