# Dumb Ways to Die

> A rail-safety music video approached 12 million YouTube views in its launch week.

- Owner: Metro Trains Melbourne
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Auto & mobility
- Seed date: 2012-11-14
- Peak date: Week of Nov 21, 2012
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 58 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop, Revival

## Summary

Metro Trains commissioned an animated safety song that spread through YouTube, Reddit and news coverage. Parodies followed, then games and later TikTok reuse. Metro reported lower near-miss rates, without isolating the campaign’s contribution.

## Timeline

- 2012-11-14 — Metro Trains Melbourne (YouTube) — Metro uploaded the animated rail-safety music video to YouTube.
- 2012-11-16 — Mach5Stealthz (Reddit) — Mach5Stealthz submitted the video to Reddit’s r/videos community.
- 2012-11-18 — Tangerine Kitty (Open web) — The song reached number six in the global iTunes singer-songwriter category, according to McCann.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/dumb-ways-to-die

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Dumb Ways to Die.” Case HIS-01008. Spread Score v1.2: 58/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01008