"Put Down the Phone or Risk Being the 'Last One' Emoji!" - Sprint's Campaign Targets Distracted Driving
"Texting and driving isn't a joke," reads a sign alongside a striking yellow sculpture in downtown Miami, named "The Last Emoji." Crafted by advertising agency Alma for Sprint, the sculpture features a disconcerting visage with concerned tires instead of eyes and a red car seat. Alma's tweet accompanying the image read, "‘The Last Emoji’ isn’t a joke," accompanied by an image of a deranged, grinning face with worried tires.
Sprint chose Miami as the location to showcase "The Last Emoji" due to Florida's status as one of the few U.S. states with no primary ban on texting while driving. In practice, drivers who send texts can be ticketed only if they are pulled over for other traffic violations.
Inviting passersby to snap selfies with the "last emoji" and share them on social media with the #SprintDriveSafe hashtag, the campaign has garnered attention.
Related: New York Drivers Could Be Forced to Use Textual Analysis Apps
Distracted driving, particularly texting at the wheel, has recently gained significant attention. In April, the U.S. observes National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration links SMS messaging during driving to 3,129 fatalities in crashes due to distracted driving in 2014, the last year for which reliable figures are available.
The Sprint-Alma initiative is the latest attempt to fight against distracted driving. Another notable effort is the 2013 Werner Herzog documentary, "From One Second to the Next," which interviews drivers who have suffered injuries and those responsible for fatalities resulting from texting and driving.
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Businesses have a responsibility to promote safe driving practices, as demonstrated by Sprint's campaign. The campaign's success depends on engaging the community, adapting to state-specific regulatory environments, and maintaining public awareness through sustained messaging.
