Distracted Driving Research Paper

Words: 619
Pages: 3

Are Distracted Driving PSAs Effective? Distracted driving, a threat that is much bigger and more dangerous than most think, is a prevalent issue that is escalating more in the coming years. PSAs are a common method that works to prevent incidents and injuries caused by unsafe driving by spreading awareness. However, the fight against distracted driving is a debate within itself. The effectiveness of PSAs has created a common dispute, in which many question the techniques used to ward off driving unsafely. Some may claim that public service announcements are unproductive and ineffectual. This is believed to be due to ‘weak’ messaging and an audience that denies the issue’s relevance. Ultimately though, PSAs can, and have been seen, be able to …show more content…
It is used by establishing an emotional connection to create a sense of fear or anticipation, which ultimately wards off the audience from driving distracted as they see the consequences and dangers of it displayed to them directly. In an article written by Ioni Lewis, Barry Watson, and Richard Tay, PSAs display “drivers and passengers.shown to be injured and killed as a result of unsafe and/or illegal behavior,” (Examining the effectiveness of physical threats in road safety advertising). However, the argument on whether or not PSAs are truly effective is still rampant. Many claim that PSAs are ineffective due to their target audience. PSAs, especially driving ones, typically target a teen audience, or those who are careless. However, because of this, a large majority of the intended audience denies the possibility of an incident caused by driving unsafely happening to them. In an AT&T survey, it was found that, “97% of teenagers know texting while driving is dangerous – and yet all the ads and public service announcements are focused on the dangers of texting while driving,” (1st, Safety. Do Anti-Texting Campaigns Really