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The Sound That Kills: When Notifications Become an Electro Track Against Distracted Driving
Each French person receives an average of more than 80 notifications per day. On the road, these constant interruptions have very real consequences. In 2024, phone use was involved in 24% of injury-related road accidents in France, resulting in 419 deaths and more than 56,600 injuries.
In response to these figures, the association Victimes & Citoyens has launched a new campaign titled The Sound That Kills. Its principle is simple: transform notification sounds into an electro track, before revealing their true meaning.
A Track Built from WhatsApp and Instagram Sounds
The track, titled Life is Calling, was first released on streaming platforms without any explanation. It is an upbeat electronic piece composed entirely from notification sounds: WhatsApp alerts, Instagram pings, call ringtones, and other familiar digital cues.
A few days later, the message was revealed. The track is built from the very sounds that, when heard behind the wheel, contribute to hundreds of deaths on French roads every year.
The project was developed with artist SAINT X, a French producer based in Barcelona. By deconstructing and reshaping these everyday sounds, he turned them into a memorable electronic melody, built from elements we usually associate with digital urgency.
“Behind the wheel, no notification is worth a life,” reminds Julien Thibault, President of Victimes & Citoyens.
Using Streaming Codes to Deliver a Message
The campaign does not rely solely on the composition of the track. For the first time in an electronic music project, Spotify’s native features have been integrated into a prevention campaign.
The Canvas feature, those looping visuals displayed during playback, as well as the Lyrics section, were used to progressively reveal the message. The platform therefore becomes more than just a distribution tool, it becomes part of the storytelling.
Today, streaming shapes the way we consume music. By repurposing these formats, the campaign reaches an audience accustomed to discovering music through a screen.
A Campaign Targeting Young Drivers
Orchestrated by Monks.Paris, the campaign primarily targets 17 to 24-year-olds, a generation particularly exposed to hyperconnectivity and intensive smartphone use.
The rollout includes:
– distribution of the track on streaming platforms
– influencer partnerships
– an editorial reveal led by Brut
– a national outdoor campaign with 1,000 JCDecaux billboards inviting the public to discover the track via QR code
One year after its “Drive Like a Woman” campaign, Victimes & Citoyens continues to use contemporary cultural and media codes to address road safety issues.
Here, Electronic Culture Becomes a Tool for Prevention
The strength of Life is Calling lies in its shift in approach. Rather than adding yet another prevention message into the media flow, the campaign communicates through music itself.
The sounds we associate with constant connectivity have become automatic. Hearing them transformed into a track forces us to reconsider them.
In a context where 80% of French people admit to using their phone while driving, the issue is not only technological, it is behavioral.
Electronic music, often associated with nightlife and sonic innovation, becomes here a vehicle for awareness.