A Port Moody nurse and a graphic artist are teaming up to promote a simple safety idea they hope will go viral.
Claire Lawrence and Andrea Bruhns have started The Dots and Dashes Safety Company to promote the use of highly reflective stickers, which are easy to use, waterproof and durable and can be applied to most surfaces, including umbrellas, back packs, strollers, jackets, boots and helmets.
They glow so brightly when reflected by car headlights that kids are easy to see, even when they step off curbs at dusk, making youngsters much safer as they head back to school and sports activities in the waning days of summer and fall.
But Lawrence and Bruhns aren't just marketing them to parents, they want the entire community to adopt the Dots and Dashes' "Reflect Yourself" mantra" and have come up with a unique marketing strategy to get their message out.
"We want people to put them on everyone in their family," explained Lawrence, adding that she'd like to see grandma and grandpa putting them on their clothes, walking canes, and other mobility aids, and mom and dad wearing them on their jogging clothes and other outerwear.
The duo is expected to launch their product at the Port Moody Safety Fair tomorrow, Saturday (Sept. 15) and have started a website and other social media.
However, their biggest campaign is being launched via YouTube with a well-filmed video produced by two Port Moody secondary school students, Sara Lynn Bruhns, 15, and Sepehre Mahoob,18.
"We want everybody to give these out and convince others to be safe," explained Bruhns, whose younger daughter, Lea, 8, is featured in the video.
Lea is the "The Hero" who slaps stickers on loved ones and anyone else who might be walking or riding in the dark or a dull day without reflective clothing.
Bruhns, who is from Germany, said reflective material comes standard with most outerwear in her native country and she is surprised the simple safety measure hasn't been adopted in Canada.
It's a safety measure that takes just seconds to use, said Lawrence, a former street nurse who has seen too many people in emergency rooms suffering from injuries that could have been avoided if they were more easily seen by drivers.
"Yes, drivers need to be attentive and aware, but pedestrians need to take some responsibility for being visible," she said.
The reflective tape comes in many different sizes and is sold in cardboard packages affixed with the Dots and Dashes logo. The packages sell for about $5 and Lawrence and Bruhns would like to see them sold by schools as fundraisers. A sample and letters will be going to schools throughout School District 43.
"This isn't about selling reflective stickers, it's about road safety," added Lawrence.
Eventually Dots and Dashes will be selling other safety materials and will deliver road safety workshops to students.
For more information, contact Claire Lawrence at 604-551-7799 or email [email protected].
The Port Moody Safety Fair runs from 11-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15 at Port Moody City Hall.
