There’s nothing funny about traffic fatalities. I’d just like to get that out there at the start. Still, looking at the bus and bus-stop ads for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Governments’ “StreetSmart” program, I can’t help but notice what sort of person they’ve chosen to illustrate the hazards of crossing streets.

Look at this man being hit by a car. His stripy sweater, artfully distressed jeans, overdesigned shoes, and flying cup of Starbucks—-they all scream “oblivious, over-consuming hipster.” I guess the question here, then, is: How effective are ads that portray the horrors of a scenario that I suspect many people secretly fantasize about?