Texting and Driving
The issue of texting and driving is one of the many controversial arguments faced by Americans. We hear about this on a daily basis. As children mature into young adults and began preparing for their driving test, they are typically reminded to have very little distractions while being a new driver. Years ago, texting while driving was not a problem due to the lack of cellular devices, but as technology has increased, so have the risks of yet another distraction. Based on a recent study by the National Safety Council, twenty-eight percent of all car crashes are due to cell phones. Each year, approximately 1.4 million crashes are due to communication on a phone, 200,000 being texting (Halsey).
The argument in this image is clear; texting and driving can kill you. The visual is a cartoon by Mike Luckovich. He is famous for the cartoons that he draws about political and other important issues faced in America. In this image, Luckovich does a very good job in portraying a possible consequence from texting while driving: death. The left hand side shows a man texting while operating a moving vehicle, while the right hand side shows the Grim Reaper, a major symbol of death. The most significant part of the picture, in my opinion, is the fact that the man texting and driving is about to run into another car. Just this factor alone revolves back to the simple fact that texting and driving can cause crashes, and even possibly death.
Another strong aspect of this cartoon is the colors that Luckovich uses. On the left side, the colors are bright and stand out. In contrast, on the right side, the main color used is black, a color often associated with death. Luckovich also makes it clear that the man driving is not paying attention to driving by the angle his head is turned. The intended audience for the image could really be anyone that drives because almost everyone owns a cell phone. I’m sure it could be more directed towards teenagers, but adults...