Life and Death On the Roads - Be Careful! 1960

This road safety poster, "Life and Death On the Roads - Be Careful!", was created by Jean David. The poster's stark composition immediately grabs your attention. A bright yellow road stretches toward the horizon, bisected by a vanishing point that leads to a warning triangle featuring a skull. This road is not empty, for it includes a mix of figures, with the wheel of a vehicle prominently in the foreground. This contrast between the road's vanishing point and the close-up wheel creates a tension, highlighting the simultaneous presence of distance and immediate control. The artist's reduction of forms to basic shapes and bold colors is striking. The sharp angles and flat planes lend a sense of urgency, reinforced by the clear, almost didactic message. The design draws on the visual language of modernist aesthetics, mirroring the intersection of form and function that was being explored across various disciplines at the time. The poster challenges the viewer to consider the act of driving as both a modern phenomenon and a moral imperative.