A comparative analysis of two pieces (an infographic and a public service announcement) that discourage people from texting while driving.

1. Lisa Gardner
CAS 137H
Dr. Robin Kramer
12 October 2015
Don’t Drive “Intexticated”
Today’s teenagers are part of what is known as the Millennial Generation. This
generation has been criticized by many as being self-absorbed, entitled, lazy, and narcissistic.
Much of this stigmatism occurs because these individuals grew up surrounded by social media
and new technologies that encouraged selfish behavior. While these are generalizations, there are
many instances where teenagers’ self-serving actions have impacted others. One of the most
dangerous instances of teenage neglect is texting and driving. Both the public service
announcement produced by Channel 6 News and the “Intexicated” infographic made by Online
Schools, point out the dangers of distracted driving. While both of these artifacts try to persuade
teenagers to stop distracted driving by questioning our society’s shared commonplaces, the
former relies chiefly on an emotional appeal and the latter uses logical reasoning to make its
argument.
Both the public service announcement and the information graphic challenge the civic
commonplace that teenagers are indestructible and they are in control of their future. In the
information graphic, after explaining the implications of distracted driving, it shows that even
though 77% of young adults are confident that they can safely text and drive, those that do spend
10% of their time driving outside their lane. This is a result of people overestimating their multi-
tasking abilities and is one of the reasons that texting and driving is still an issue. People think

2. that they can text and drive without hurting others. By demonstrating that people are unable to
multitask effectively, the statistics encourage people to realize their limitations and stop taking
those risks. The public service announcement exposes the same issue through the conversation
that the two drivers have before the crash. The mom implores the teenage girl to look up and
correct her error before it’s too late, but the teenage driver explains that even though she wants to
stop, there is no way that she will do it in time to save them. While many people think that they
can text and drive safely, there are few who can. After someone has decided to text and drive,
they have started a series of events that cannot be stopped. By showing how both parties are
powerless to prevent the crash from happening once it has started, these artifacts build sympathy
for all parties involved. It explains to the audience that they must stop texting and driving
because even though they may want to stop the car, they will no longer be able to. Both artifacts
demonstrate that teenagers are not spared from the ramifications of their actions.
This tragic loss of control, seen in the public service announcement, makes the audience
feel sympathy for all involved because the teenage driver unintentionally kills innocent people.
In the video, reality is briefly suspended before the two vehicles crash. Both drivers get out of
their cars and talk in the middle of the road about what is about to happen. While people are
texting and driving, very few of them think about who might be in the car coming the other way.
To set the two drivers up, face to face, makes it impossible for the audience (and the teenager) to
ignore the implications of her actions. She is directly hurting not just those in her car, but the
driver and passengers in the other one. This is especially hard-hitting because the passengers in
both cars are innocent people who will suffer because of her decision. Compounding this effect,
the people in both cars are relatively young. They have not had a chance to experience all that

3. life has to offer. This makes the accident seem more tragic because they had a whole life in front
of them. Additionally, this makes the audience hold the teenager accountable for her actions. This
face to face confrontation is also important because it communicates to teenagers watching it that
society is not out to criticize them. It is obvious to the mom and to the audience that the teenager
does not want to kill the family in the other car, but it is too late for her to change the car’s
course. Instead of making the teenager into a villain, the creators portray her as ignorant of her
actions and then repentant right before the crash. This encourages teenagers not to make the
choice to text and drive in the first place because afterwards they will not be able to control the
outcome. By appealing to the audience’s emotions, the creators of the public service
announcement build sympathy for all people involved in the accident.
To contrast the emotional argument of the first artifact, the second artifact uses logical
reasoning to deter teenagers from texting and driving. The infographic starts at the top by
referring to distracted driving as “DWI: Driving while Intexicated.” This uses our association
that driving while intoxicated is dangerous to illustrate that the same logic applies to texting.
Texting can be just as dangerous as drunk driving, so by comparing the two, it makes the
audience see texting as an equal threat. The infographic goes on to put texting while driving into
a context we are more able to understand. For example, many people know that texting while
driving forces the person to look away from the road, but they do not realize how that translates
into risk. The creator uses the analogy of driving across a football field to demonstrate the
dangers of texting and driving to people in terms they can easily understand. The artifact also
uses logic to pull in another audience. The creator rationalizes that teenagers are quick to follow
other role models. Therefore, when parents or other adults drive distracted, it sends a message to

4. their children that it is okay to text and drive. Using this logic will appeal to the adult population
that texts and drives because even if they are unable to see it as a threat to themselves, they will
see it as a threat to their children. This will encourage them to modify their actions because they
know their children are watching. The creators apply this same logic to dismantle the belief that
people are good at multitasking. In the graphic, it mentions the top ways that people justify
texting and driving. By putting these pathetic excuses in front of the audience, it forces the reader
to self-evaluate their own behaviors and make the necessary changes. By using logic, this
infographic is able to expose the true dangers of driving distracted and communicate them to a
wider audience.
These two artifacts both critically evaluate the commonplaces that teenagers and adults
hold about driving distracted as well as incorporate logical and emotional appeals in order to
deter people from texting behind the wheel. While both make strong arguments against driving
distracted, many people are still continuing to do it. Some may argue that it is due to Millennials’
selfish behaviors, but the more likely cause is that people do not realize just how dangerous it is
to take their eyes off the road. Hopefully as more groups create these graphics and public service
announcements, more people will be educated about the dangers of driving distracted. All it takes
is one second to change someone’s life irrevocably. If everyone remembered this before getting
behind the wheel, we could easily save thousands of lives.

5. Works Cited
"Texting and Driving Statistics." Texting and Driving Statistics. Online Schools, 2012. Web. 12
Oct. 2015.