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Advocating for infrastructure investment? Show the local benefits with an interactive map.

DemLabs blog

April 8, 2021

Investing in roads and infrastructure improves public safety and reduces accidents.

Political decisions have real consequences. Investing in infrastructure that improves public safety should not be a political issue.

How do you let the public know how they personally stand to benefit? How can they better grasp the lives lost and consequences of not investing in public safety? How can they be contact their elected official?

Use an interactive map that makes it to get all the facts and contact details. This map shows:
- Fatal traffic accidents
- Major freeways
- Congressional districts
- Elected officials (congress and senate)
- How to contact them

The StoryMap uses data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, along with includes videos, graphics and headlines to provide the full context.

Good roads save lives - StoryMap

Investing in public infrastructure should not be a political issue. Tell your elected officials.

Make it easy to search for local information

People are most interested about how an issue impacts them. A good map is easy to search and provides them all the information they need. This map, for instance, provides details of the accident, freeway and the elected officials responsible in a few clicks.

Investing in public infrastructure improves public safety.

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

This data layer, uses data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, displays fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is a census of fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico since 1975. The only way for a motor vehicle crash to be considered a FARS case is:
- It occurred while travelling on a traffic way customarily open to the public.
- Must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.

Invest in infrastructure

"President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan would create millions of jobs and could undo some of the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, economists said, and could particularly benefit lower middle-income workers.

Biden will unveil the first stage of his plan on Wednesday at an event in Pittsburgh. It will include hundreds of billions of dollars devoted to building and repairing roads, bridges, mass transit, schools and other infrastructure, according to details released by the White House earlier on Wednesday. About 75% of the infrastructure jobs created would go to workers with no more than a high school diploma, while the rest would require an associate's degree or higher, Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) in Washington said in a report." - WDEZ

Share this StoryMap

Takeaway: Use StoryMaps to show how political decisions impact thir lives and what they can do about it. Contact DemLabs for pro bono help with projects related to social justice and voting rights.

Deepak
DemLabs

Image credit: Photo by Matt Chesin on Unsplash

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DemLabs applies innovative technology and storytelling tools in service of democratic values. It lowers the barrier of funding for worthy candidates and non-profits by applying existing free/affordable solutions.

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