Domino’s Airing Public Service Spots on Safe Driving

Domino’s Pizza, accused of having a policy of speedy delivery at all costs, is airing public service radio spots on safe driving. The spots feature two Los Angeles police officers discussing safety tips.

The Ann Arbor-based chain--perhaps best known for promising pizza deliveries within 30 minutes--is accused by critics of encouraging employees to drive recklessly. In the public service radio campaign, airing only in the Los Angeles area, police officers warn people not to drive when they’re drunk, upset or tired.

Unsafe driving “is an area where we have a bad public perception,” said Wendy Blanch, Domino’s regional marketing manager. “We want people to know we care about safe driving.”

Critics are unimpressed. “What bothers me is that Domino’s doesn’t give a damn about safety,” said Joseph A. Kinney, executive director of the National Safe Workplace Institute in Chicago.

Domino’s spent about $4,500 to produce the English and Spanish public service spots. But one ad, which featured the officers talking about speeding, was scrapped before it went on the air. Explained Blanch, “It hit a little too close to home.”

Domino’s, after all, has been the subject not only of public criticism but also of lawsuits because of its delivery policy. In 1988--the last year the company made such statistics public--Domino’s vehicles were involved in accidents that killed 20 people. Domino’s now requires all those who deliver pizza to take a traffic safety course.

Meanwhile, the LAPD is being criticized for taking part in the ad campaign.

“I’m stunned that any police department would allow its personnel to get in this kind of position,” said Kinney. “It demonstrates incredibly bad judgment.”

An LAPD spokesman insists the department is simply interested in promoting safety. “If Domino’s is making an effort to get the word out on safe driving, we applaud them for that,” said spokesman Fred Nixon. “Questioning their sincerity was not an issue for us. We don’t believe the issue of traffic safety can be stated too strongly or too often.”

The radio spots aired on nearly 30 Los Angeles area stations over the Memorial Day weekend and are expected to be aired heavily over the July 4 weekend.

The announcements all end with: “Domino’s Pizza and the LAPD are concerned about traffic safety this holiday weekend and, in that spirit, they have presented this message.”