We hear it every day – don’t text while you drive. Yet, a billboard in Toronto, Ontario seemed to encourage people to text AND drive. What??
The message on the billboard reads “Text and Drive” with the name “Wathan Funeral Home” at the bottom of the sign. That’s rough – but it wasn’t real. The billboard was sponsored by an agency as an effort to discourage texting and driving. When viewers brought up the Wathan Funeral Home Web site, they were greeted with a message about getting Canadians to stop texting while driving.
Why the billboard? Simple, we tend to ignore the routine message, or think it applies to someone else. But the shock value of the sign, combined with the presumed advertiser of a funeral home, made drivers stop and think. According to site statistics, drivers who text are 23 more times likely to be involved in an accident.
Text and drive? Nope.
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students about their habits texting and driving.
- Show the Web site: http://wathanfuneral.com/
- Make sure to click on the icons on the right-hand side for more information.
- Divide students into teams. Have each team create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for an issue about which they are passionate.
- Have each team post its PSA on the board and discuss what makes an effective PSA.
Source: Canadian New Service
