This Car Prototype Addresses the Dangers of 'Driving While Black'

It’s a sad comment on our times that a vehicle designed to protect Black folks from police brutality during routine traffic stops doesn’t sound like pure fantasy.

The Courageous Conversation Global Foundation worked with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Critical Mass and The Mill to develop a prototype for such a car.

Dubbed the DWB—”Driving While Black”—the sedan boasts some unique attributes, making it “Fully equipped to survive being racially profiled.” The work is timed to the Detroit Auto Show, which kicks off today.

A short film below, made in the style of a car-hype reel, feels downright chilling. Among the DWB’s “safety features” are transparent doors “to eliminate reasonable suspicion,” a steering wheel “that keeps hands visible at all times” and no trunk or glovebox, to remove the need for searches.

Note the license plate, “3X.” In America, Black people are three times more likely than whites to be killed during encounters with police.

“A car won’t solve the problem,” the PSA concludes. “Only we can do that.” Viewers are invited to visit this site for more information.

“We were looking for a fresh way to come at the 3X stat, which has been at the center of the work we’ve done for CCGF,” Goodby creative director Anthony O’Neill tells Muse. “Our inspiration comes from life experiences. So, when we were thinking things through this felt like a fresh idea, turning the term DWB into a vehicle that can save Black lives.”

“We looked at making the car, but it would be too expensive to transport. So, we pivoted to the CAD model” which will appear at an AR activation during the Auto Show, O’Neill says. “I was at my daughter’s practice and I mentioned the project to one of the dads, and he happened to be a project engineer—Aubrey Jones from A-4R. He said he could work up a version … then we took that in-house, where Nick Bizzack continued to manipulate the car before handing off to The Mill.”

The design draws inspiration from the Oldsmobile 8LS Philando Castile was murdered in during a Minnesota traffic stop seven years ago.

In 2020, Goodby and the CCGF memorably dramatized the epidemic of unarmed Black men shot by police. That effort and “DWB” artfully harness outrage to advocate for understand and disrupt the status quo.

Such work targets “people on the fence,” challenging them “to see the racism around them,” says agency creative director Rony Castor. The ultimate goal, of course is to “change the narrative around Black folks and traffic stops. Basically, to make routine stops more routine for us,” he says.

“The model makes me think about the fear for my life I had each time the police stopped me,” adds Craig Mitchell, who narrates the campaign. “My parents gave me ‘The Talk’ when I started driving in my hometown of St. Louis. I am blessed none of my traffic stops ever escalated. But hundreds of thousands of black drivers throughout history can’t say that.”

CREDITS

Client
Founder and Board Chair: Glenn Singleton
Executive Director: Madame Athena Chang
Director, Marketing and Communications: Gabriel Gima
 
Agency- GSP

Creative 
Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson
Creative Directors: Anthony O’Neill and Rony Castor
Art Director: Ben Burgoyne
Copywriter: TShea King
Copywriter: Alanna Johnson

Design 
Designer: Pedro Zuccolini
Designer: Johann Vernizzi
Designer: Carlos Hernandez

E-Level 
Motion Artist: Nick Bizzack

Account Services
Managing Partner: Leslie Barrett
Group Account Director: Melissa Buck
Group Account Director: Thomas Powers
Account Manager: Javonta Thomas
 
Brand and Communication Strategy 
Partner, Head of Brand Strategy: Bonnie Wan
Partner, Head of Communication Strategy: Christine Chen
Senior Brand Strategist: Simran Kaur
Communication Strategy Director: Drew Forrest
Communications Strategist: Taylor Yada
Junior Communication Strategist: Joshua German

Production 
Head of Production: Jim Haight
Production Department Manager: Timothy Plain
Executive Producer: Danielle Riccardi
Senior Producer: Lorraine Schreyer
Production Manager (Detroit) : Karl Williams
 
Business Affairs 
Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra

Agency: Critical Mass

Chief Creative Officer: Val Carlson
Chief Production Officer: Alissa Hansen
Executive Creative Director: Steve Savic 
Group Creative Director: Will Danilow 
Creative Director: Michael McGrath-Sing
Copy Director: Peter von Sass
Senior Art Director: Tyler Wong
Associate Designer: Myrrha Boné 
Technology Director: William Mincy
Executive Producer: Sarah Pidgeon
Senior Producer: Carolina Rodriguez 
Technology Lead: Courtney Ring
Developer: Jaden Rose, Brendan Azzano
Project Coordinator: Tyrah Seitz
Associate Strategist: Charlie Doyle
Associate Search Strategist: Kelly Liu
Group 3D Director: Andrzej Milosz
3D Artist: Diego Quesada, Orlando Villalobos
Tech Strategist: Damian Hadala
 
Video Production Company 
Company Name: The Mill
Production Company City: Los Angeles
Director: Andrew Proctor
Managing Director: Anastasia Von Rahl
Head of Production: Scott Tinter
Executive Producer, VFX: Daniel Beldy
Senior Producer, VFX: Esther Montgomery
 
Editorial & Color Company  
Company Name: The Mill
Editing Company City: Los Angeles
Senior Editor: Joe Mackedanz
Editor: Al Benoit
Colorist: Yerlan Tanayev
Executive Producer, Color: Brandee Probasco
Senior Producer, Color: Denise Brown
Color Assists: Daymian Mejia, Baptiste Carrara, Alexandra Makarenko

Audio and Sound Design Company
Company Name: Yessian
Chief Creative Officer: Brian Yessian
Head Of Production: Michael Yessian
Executive Producer: David Gold
Creative Director: Andy Grush
Composer: Mark Chu

Company name: LimeSound Design 
Sound Design Company City: Lime Studios Santa Monica
Sound Designers: Dave Wagg
Audio Engineer: Dave Wagg
Assistant Mixer: Matthew Conzelmann
Executive Producer:  Susie Boyajan
Producer: Cassie Underwood
Mix: Dave Wagg 

VFX Company  
Company name: The Mill
Senior VFX Producer: Esther Montgomery
VFX Lead Flame Artist: Rob Ufer
CG Lead Artist: Tim Kafka
CG Artists: Brian Lesiangi, Ziming Liu, Jay Antonio, Nick Carvalho
Assets: Preksha Kumar, Praveen Sharma
Designer: Jaimie Yoo
 
Talent
Voice Over: Craig Mitchell