We’ve all been told not to jaywalk. Yet so many people ignore pedestrian crossings and walk when and wherever they please. In recent years, the number of Quebeckers recklessly crossing the street has increased. So have the amount of road accidents involving pedestrians.

To save lives, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) wanted pedestrians to realize just how vulnerable they are when they put themselves in cars’ way. Since people already know jaywalking is dangerous, the Société needed a less didactic, more visceral approach.

Targeting a bus shelter next to the most dangerous intersection in Montreal, Lg2 set up “Bone vs. Steel,” an interactive display that made it alarmingly clear how devastating being hit by a car can be.

The installation used stereoscopic cameras to detect the human skeleton of a passerby and transposed it on a screen, mirroring the participant’s movements. After viewers enjoyed a few seconds of fun watching their body move around, an automatic sensor triggered an incoming car, which then hits the skeleton and simulates the impact of an accident. Seeing human bones respond to a car collision was a horrific reality check for many pedestrians. A message displayed: “Bone vs. Steel, you have no chance.”

Hundreds of pedestrians tried the bus shelter and “Bone vs. Steel” was the most shared video in the province of Quebec for two weeks. Most importantly, accidents involving pedestrians decreased 8%.