Sam Comen: PLZ DNT TXT N DRV

Sam Comen: PLZ DNT TXT N DRV by Aline SmithsonJune 2, 2013

My Los Angeles friend, Sam Comen, was hired to create images that reflect the dangers of texting while driving. The result is “txt speak” roadside vigils made in collaboration with the ad agency, Team One for FocusDriven.org. In order to create the scenarios, Sam and his team meticulously placed hundreds of individual candles and mementos at roadside locations Sam scouted throughout Los Angeles.

The ads ran in April editions of Esquire and Seventeen magazines on double page spreads donated by Hearst Publications. The series has already garnered some recognition: Communication Arts will feature all three ads in the 2013 Communication Arts Photography Annual. The statistics presented in the layouts are startling: drivers who text are 8 times more likely to crash than drivers who do not; 24% of all car accidents involve a cell phone. Sam was particularly pleased to see the “OMG” layout placed in a teen magazine.

Sam is a commercial, editorial, and fine art photographer, with a number of significant projects. He has won numerous awards, has been twice nominated for PDN 30 and selected for the Critical Mass top 50 in 2011.

Tags: Death, Sam Comen, Technology