Analysis : ' Blind ' By The Transport Accident Commission

Each day in the United States, 8 people on average are killed in a distracted driving related accident (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Distracted driving can constitute anything from talking on the phone to reaching for a fallen object while driving. One way people have been fighting to combat the deadliness of distracted driving is through PSAs. PSAs are Public Service Announcements, like commercials, that warn people of dangerous activities and heighten their awareness of a problem. Even if people think no one pays attention to PSAs, if even one person saw and understood a PSA, it would make a difference. PSAs are an important part of the prevention of distracted driving because it heightens peoples' awareness of the

“The reaction time of a distracted cell phone driver is more than 40% than those of an undistracted driver” (Hague).

Imagine this, it's a beautiful day for a drive, the sun is out, windows rolled down, the music in on softly, just a perfect day. Then you look down at your cell-phone, just briefly, quick enough to remove your eyes from the road, then you BAM you made an accident!!

According to Ashley Gaddis from Counterpoint, “From 1999 to 2008, nearly fifty-two thousand people were killed in car crashes caused by distracted drivers” (n.pag.). Distracted driving started when technology became mobile and handheld. Many people have died and gotten injured from people not paying attention to the road. This problem has been growing as technology advances. Distracted driving is a big problem and there needs to be stronger penalties and laws in place to deter people from distracted driving.

“Ding!” Ooh, you got a text. Check it! CRASH! Hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year due to texting while driving. The public service announcement (PSA), “Don’t Text and Drive PSA” clearly illustrates how quickly someone can become distracted and cause a deadly accident. In this PSA a teenaged girl is driving down a narrow two lane, two way trafficked street with her friends when she receives a text from her mother. The girl decided to answer the text and looks down, eyes off the road, and she veers into the path of an oncoming SUV without noticing. The cars are on a collision course when they both freeze, giving the drivers a chance to step out of their vehicles and assess the situation together. This allows the viewer to reflect on how the predicament could have been avoided and learn from the girl’s mistakes. “Don’t Text and Drive PSA,” produced by TranterGrey Media, strongly uses both pathos and logos rather than ethos in conveying how dangerous texting and driving can be.

Each year numerous lives are lost due to careless and irrational driving. The disregard for safe driving has been a predicament to the United States of America for years. Many years Police have relied heavily on speed cameras, breathalyzer tests and heavy fines as a deterrent against unlawful drivers. Over the years fatality rates have increased, so the Department of Transportation and Highway Safety has composed a series of safe driving campaigns. On many occasions the Transportation Department informs and advises the public about the importance of responsible driving. They propagate safe driving through the various channels of the media and

A distracted driver is anyone who diverts their attention from driving by either talking or texting, talking or performing any other multitasking activity on a mobile device while driving. on a mobile device eitherRegardless if the device is a hand-held hands on or hand-freeoff or multitasking while driving. All distractions are dangerous, but text messaging is the most hazardous because it requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver (Distraction.govDistracted Driving, 2013). Regardless of the ageage, sex, or expertise of a driver; a distracted driver is a danger to society. When we drive distractedFor the distracted driver, the result is the same, and it is just an accident waiting to happen. The fact is that, and the growing number of life changing accidents is inis on the rise. This practice does not only affect the driver but “all distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety” (Distracted Driving, 2013).

In an attempt to bring awareness about distracted driving to viewers, AT&T has decided to show a different perspective about the issue. Drivers who chose to display reckless behavior while driving are often viewed as careless, and irresponsible. However, many times even a responsible, caring person can make a bad decision and become distracted. This moment of bad judgment can lead to a tragic accident that will affect all those involved. The commercial The Unseen by AT&T used in their It Can Wait campaign is effective in getting their message across. Through the use of scare tactics and people’s emotions AT&T’s commercial; The Unseen is effective because it gets drivers to think twice before becoming distracted behind the wheel.

In the last 5 years, the number of people who have watched safe driving PSA’s has been increasing due to the shocking content of the videos, and

Q2) Do you think that the campaign ‘Blind’ is effective in deterring drivers risky behaviour, road accidents and preventing fatalities?

The creators of this commercial grasp the hearts and minds of their audience by first bringing out a situation and people who can relate to the common driver, then second exposing them to the extreme consequences of texting and driving, while also setting the mood with appropriate music. By appealing to the emotions of the audience so strategically, the producers carry out an attempt to impact the actions of any drivers who may view their video and change how they view distracted driving in their personal

Another campaign is the “click it or ticket”, although indirect relate with public health, the end result can be that in an accident the victim will end up in a hospital, when he or she did not wear a seatbelt.

Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing problems in the United States.   It is starting to be considered as serious as drunk driving based on the dangerous outcomes.  According to the Department of Transportation (2012), “distracted driving was a cause of roughly 450,000 accident-related injuries and nearly 5,500 fatalities in 2009 alone” (para. 1). Drivers who allow themselves to become distracted while driving are not only endangering themselves, but other innocent bystanders.

d. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds causing the

The distractions of driving are a popular area of research. Recent studies have looked at what distracts drivers and what other failures of awareness may contribute to traffic accidents. The goal of this paper is to look at research and explain how change blindness can possibly effect driving.