Driving is an essential part of today’s world, and it is important to keep people safe on the road. According to Edgar Snyder and Associates, over 3,100 people were killed in 2013 due to texting and driving accidents. Going along with this, close to 10,000 people were killed in drinking and driving crashes in the US this past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both these numbers are extremely high and show that texting or drinking while driving is unsafe for both the driver and the other cars on the road. This message is portrayed through an advertisement by EcoVia. The advertisement shows the effects of texting or drinking and driving and the negative consequences that can happen. Through the use of the facial expressions, colors, and captions, we see EcoVia is strongly advising for people to drive safely to end the violence that occurs on the roads each year. This is significant because being distracted on a phone or being drunk while driving can lead to consequences such as a ‘punch in the face’ shown by these two people in this advertisement.

This is a serious ad but the use of face paint is reminiscent of youth and innocence. This is contradictory because face paint is used for fun and playful activities by children, but this ad shows serious problems with road safety. Both the victim and the assailant in this image have cars that are representing an innocent driver (the man) as well as a driver who is either texting or under the influence of alcohol (the fist). The cars are drawn on both the hand and the face to show the impact that happens when you can’t control your driving and you crash. The car’s represented on the men’s face are the cars that are taking the hit, which mean these are the innocent people taking the consequences of someone else’s punch, or mistake. By relating these types of car crashes to being punched, the viewer can more imaging the negative effects that can happen due to the simplicity of being punched. 

Judging by the facial expressions of the victims, as well as the fist that is in contact with each face, it is clear to acknowledge that the man in each image is under pain from being hit. The facial expressions are expressing pain that seems to be unexpected; just like a car crash would seem to be. This is displayed through the spit being flown out of both of their mouth’s to indicate the pain they are suffering, as well as both of their eyes being closed to show how startled the victims are. The men’s heads are pushed back tremendously to imply how hard they were hit. This means it wasn’t just a small accident, it was a major blow to these innocent people’s lives. The violently shocked facial expressions indicate the major possibility that an accident can occur due to the driver being either under the influence or distracted by a mobile device.

The contrast of colors and lights in this advertisement are meant to direct the viewers’ attention to the center of the image. This is where the men are being punched. The background is dark, and the light on their skin is bright so the viewer can notice it. The complexity of the men’s skin is seen to be moist and sweaty to show how intense this scene is. Also, the arm that is punching the men is seen to be coming out of darkness, which shows how unexpected it was for it to come out of nowhere. The idea that any person could be the person operating a vehicle while texting or drinking is shown in the ad by the size and difference in each arm. In the top image, the arm is skinny and a dark shade; however, the bottom image shows a beefier arm with a lighter shade. The first man seems to be older and driving a big truck, compared to the younger man driving a smaller car. This has significant meaning because it shows that the victim of unsafe driving can be anyone, including the men in these ad’s because these assailants are different in many ways, including age and gender, but they are similar in the way that they were both unsafe drivers who crashed into innocent people because of texting or drinking while driving their car. This ad is advocating people to drive safer and smarter so they don’t affect other drivers on the road. With the use of different colors, shades, and complexity of each person’s skin, the image focuses on the idea that these crashes happen very often and can happen to anyone.

The captions in this advertisement help the viewer get a better idea of what message is being portrayed. By putting the caption where it is, the effect causes the eye to be drawn to the words directly after viewing the punch/crash because the placement of the caption is right below where the two cars crash. The ad features two different captions, but both of them begin with the same line, “Stop the Violence”. The second line after this quote relates to the specific image it is portraying. The use of “Stop the Violence” appearing in both of the images represents this is the message EcoVia wants to express. The violence is a result from driving unsafely and EcoVia wants to bring in this reoccurring line to help stamp how important safe driving is into the viewer’s head. By following this line with a command in regard to the specific picture, it shows how the viewer can apply this information shown in the advertisement. The top image says “Don’t Text and Drive”, while the second image says “Don’t Drink and Drive”. By putting these two similar commands after the first line, it shows the simplicity this ad has, but also at the same time it shows a reoccurring idea that both of these commands are unsafe behaviors that are creating violence and accidents. Since both these captions are so similar, it helps the viewer better understand this same idea that by listening to these commands, violence affected by texting and drinking while drinking will stop.

A color scheme also occurs in this ad which is shown through the colors of the captions. Each image shows the second line in the caption to be a different color as the first line. Going along with this, the second line is the same color as the victim’s car. Not only is this not a coincidence, but after the viewer reads the caption, his/her eyes are brought back to the victim’s car because the colors coordinate. This is conveying that by texting or drinking and driving, a person is harming someone else’s life. It also seems as if the second line is the thought that the victim has after this accident occurs because the color of the car is the same as the command. Captions help the viewer understand a picture because they explain what is going on. Without the captions, the advertisement loses its overall message of not texting or drinking while driving. 

This advertisement by EcoVia provides a strong message about how the world can stop violence on the road. By showing the effects that a victim endures when an unsafe driver crashes into them, the viewer can understand how serious it is for drivers on the road to drive safe to keep innocent people out of harm. The facial expressions, colors, and captions in this advertisement all tie together to help the viewer understand how important it is to not text or drink alcohol while driving. The men being punched signifies the negative consequences that both the victim and the assailant endure during an accident where texting or drinking is involved. Because of the fact that there are so many accidents and deaths that have texting or drinking while driving involved, this advertisement is trying to help show that drivers should not be texting or drinking while driving. This is important for drivers to understand to help stop the violence that occurs on the roads.
