If you are in the car and need help, do this

Thanks to the spread of the Help Sign – four fingers raised with the thumb in the palm, fingers opening and closing into a fist – many women were saved from their attackers. a sign asking for help while driving: two short horns, followed by a longer one. Inspired by the Morse code for SOS, it is called “Red Voice” and is an idea born in 2022 for the benefit of the Lexus project of the same name in collaboration with the non-profit organization WeWorld to provide a tool to help women in their time. they drive a car. According to ISTAT data on sexual violence, in fact, women are more involved in violence and abuse than men and this happens more in places where we are alone or, as with domestic violence, where no one is watching (us). A complex situation that is often still not appreciated, the result of a cultural and historical legacy that manifests itself on many levels and that led to the murder of women every three days in 2023. A real emergency that civil organizations continue to call out loud to educate men to respect and prevent violence against women and where, at the same time, a sign or sign of asking for help can really save lives.

How the Red Sound works, a signal to ask for help while driving

On the occasion of the upcoming International Women’s Day, Lexus returns to bring attention Red Voice, the first horn sound designed to call for help, should you find yourself being attacked or harassed while driving. “Red Sound” is a real sound code to signal when you are in danger. Inspired by the Morse SOS signal it predicts two short honks, followed by a longer one. To raise awareness of these signals, Lexus created the hashtag #TheRedSound to share the information on social media and release an audio recording for ease of use (all info. for this page)

How and why Red Sound was born

Red Voice is a campaign born in 2022 and developed by Lexus, based on the brand’s vision of always putting the person at the center. “Women drivers continue to be the target of aggression stemming from a toxic culture that is difficult to eradicate. The Red Voice goes right in this direction, it speaks directly to us women, it tells us that we must be proud of who we are and that we must not be afraid”. he told ELLE Sarah Matarazzo, Lexus Communications Manager.

Image of Sauti Nyeku campaign

A pia sound is added to it Francesca Tambussi, Funding Manager for WeWorld, a non-profit organization dedicated to human rights for over fifty years in twenty-seven countries around the world: “Combining direct intervention with awareness-raising activities, starting with a campaign like the one created by Lexus, is one more way to give women the tools to identify abuse and ask for help. An important synergy to eradicate something that in our country does not represent an emergency but it’s a structural problem.”

Simple and recognizable: The Red Sound is a very easy symbol to memorize. It is a project that Lexus strongly believes in because it aims to promote women’s empowerment understood as individual awareness and empowerment. The will, the brand reiterates, is to promote cultural change, not only on women’s days, but every day. A focus that is also reflected in the choice to promote diversity and equality in the automotive industry, a sector traditionally considered male-dominated: The Lexus division actually has 55% women in it, from the parent company to the brand business. women hold high positions.