"Tired Faces"

Road safety is an ongoing issue in today’s society. Bicycles are constantly involved in traffic accidents. According to the Pedestrian and BicycleInformation Center, in 2014 seven hundred and twenty-six bicyclists were killed in accidents involving cars. Though helmets do provide protection, against a car, a helmet does not do enough. This online print advertisement seeks to make people aware of this fact.

The company Be Street Smart creates advertisements, coined Tired Faces, that highlight the issue of bike vs. car safety. The advertisement chosen shows a young girl wearing a black bicycle helmet, and her faced is marred with a black tire mark. Her hair is also black. The two captions in white underneath her face read: “bicycles don’t come with bumpers” and “give cyclists room to ride”.

The repetition of black in the picture is to show that bicycle accidents involving cars are far from a laughing manner. Black is serious. This is a serious situation. The white words show a way to combat the black. By following the advice of the white words, a person can prevent a bike accident and prevent the black.

The black invokes emotion. It is associated with fear, darkness, and death. Black is dangerous. People mainly try to stay away from dangerous. This ad uses black to illustrate the dangers of bicycle-car accidents. People also fear black. The grim reaper, the being that takes people’s souls when they die, dresses in black. Most people fear death. Bicycle-car accidents can cause death.

The purpose of this ad is to raise awareness for road safety, especially when sharing the road with bicycles. Choosing to portray a child in this ad expresses the kind of audience the ad is trying to reach. By showing a young girl, the ad targets people with children in their lives. Most children learn to ride a bike at a young age and then proceed to ride around the neighborhood. However, cars make this activity less safe. Parents worry about the safety of their children, especially when motor vehicles are involved. Most parents would do anything in their power to protect their children. This ad invites parents to raise awareness.

Another audience is car drivers. It encourages drivers to “give cyclists room to ride”. In an accident between a car and a bike, the car will always win. Car drivers need to both be aware of this and apply it to their everyday lives. This means being extra cautious when bicyclists are nearby, especially children who can easily veer off course, potentially in the way of a car.

The goals of this ad are awareness and call to action. Public safety for the good of public safety and nothing more. Bicycle accidents are not seen in everyday lives. A person might never see an accident of this nature nor know someone who has been in one. This ad shows the reality of what happens or could happen in a nongraphic form that everyone can identify with.