We noted that the only moment when people actually pay attention to the problem of Texting & Driving is when a big story of a terrible accident is covered by the news or when someone they know is involved in it. But you just can’t put someone in danger like that. That’s when when turned to Pepito, a beloved fictional comic book character. We collaborated with Pepito’s creators and decided that the character would be hit by a driver who was texting while driving. Pepito would remain in a comma for the following weeks, as we prompted the readers to demand new laws for road safety. If the readers or congress ignored the issue, Pepito would die ending the 10-year run of the comic in Primera Hora, one of the top newspapers in Puerto Rico.

We created a strip where Pepito wrote a letter to the House of Representatives asking for strict laws against texting & driving. While he delivered the letter he was run over. For a week we continued the story with small cliffhangers always revealing that Pepito’s letter never reached its intended destination. After a week, and showing Pepito in a coma, Primera Hora published Pepito’s letter with instructions on how to send it to Jaime Perelló, the President of the House of Representatives. For month we continued the story of how the lives of friends and family of Pepito changed because of the accident while asking people to continue pressing congress for action. Finally, the House of Representatives voted on a resolution to change the exciting law. And Pepito woke up and met Jaime Perelló who labeled him a champion of the cause.

The House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of a measure to change the law. The project quintuples the fine for cell phone use behind the wheel, from $50 to $250, and designates 10% of proceeds to educational campaigns against TEXT & DRIVE.

From Comic to Law is a great example of how to mix media effectively because it uses an often overlooked section of the newspaper to connect with people and drive action towards a social cause. Then, by expanding the story of Pepito’s accident from the comic pages to local news, the case of a fictional boy that was run over by careless driver, suddenly became very real and prompted direct action from readers to demand better laws to ensure road safety.

Create a whole story arc in the popular comic strip Pepito that would prompt readers to act by sending letters to congress. The strips where published in Primera Hora and on Pepito’s Fan Page. The story of Pepito’s accident was covered in several news reports by Primera Hora, blurring the line between fiction and real life. Blogs and Road Safety related NGO’s shared the news making the story even more believable.

• Situation: In Puerto Rico the number of accidents caused by cell phone use behind the wheel grows every year. A survey done by the Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission revealed that 7 out of 10 Puerto Ricans admit to using their cell phones while driving. A concerning issue is that laws against the practice are way to soft.

• Brief: Generate awareness of the dangers of text & driving.

• Objectives: Prompt people to ask Congress for strict laws against this practice.