Texting While Driving – You Will Die

August 25, 2009 12:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Mandy - Hofstra g+ page

texting-while-driving


By Mandy

It started with not being able to talk on the phone while driving. I was peeved, mostly because I was quite good at shooting the sh*t with my friends whilst parallel parking, but then I watched my mom back into my car while holding that Blackberry to her ear and I realized that law was a good thing.

Now, lawmakers are taking things to another level, with many states implementing laws to ban texting while driving.

For us avid texters, this may seem like a conspiracy against us, but when you see the possible consequences of making plans for the night while doing 65 down the highway, it might make you think twice.

Britain recently released a public service announcement showing the dangers of texting while driving. Disturbing is a major understatement; this video is extremely graphic and, well, really freaking disturbing. If you are squeamish, we wouldn’t recommend watching it, unless you want to throw up on your laptop. The PSA is chock full of blood, broken bones and, inevitably, death.

Does it scare the bejeezus out of me? Um, YES.
Does it make me want to stop texting while driving? Well, I don’t know.

While it definitely opened my eyes (and brought my bagel and cream cheese back up), I couldn’t help but wonder if this kind of ‘realistic’ graphic nature is really necessary to get the point across. I mean, it’s really over-the-top to the point that it’s almost unbelievable.

It is certainly effective and leaves an impression, but is scaring the sh*t out of people really the only way to get the point across?

What do you think? Is there a better way?

20 Comments on "Texting While Driving – You Will Die"

  1. Casey says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 20097:50 am 

    I think so. It's the same tactic our parents used when we were little. If you want people to listen the only emotion that will evoke that kind of attention and make them listen is fear (or incentive in some cases). Texting while driving is so much more dangerous then talking on the phone while driving (and you yourself said you've seen the consequences of that), because you usually have to look at your phone at some point while texting it doesn't just avert your attention, but your eyes too. But I think it will take a lot more than this to get most people to stop. In cases like this it usually takes a pretty bad accident for either the person or someone the person is close to to get them to stop.

  2. Steph says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 20098:14 am 

    Well before the whole texting thing and talking on cell phones came around they did the same thing in driving school with Red Pavement. It was to show the dangers of speeding and drunk driving. While I myself have been guilty of texting while driving nothing has happened but it worries me when I see others doing it or actually reading, or doing make up.

  3. girl says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 20098:45 am 

    Wow, that wouldn't make you stop texting?

    Your exactly the reason this kind of SHIT happens.

    I didn't barf, or gag, but was rather impressed at the efforts of the Brits to show the actual consequences of such a stupid act.

  4. criolle johnny says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 20099:37 am 

    YOU are the one person on the planet earth who is capable of operating a 3000 lb motor vehicle (at 65 mph) while looking at your hand instead of the road.

    Yeah, right.

    … "but it worries" you when you see others doing it? That's because you can see how dangerous it is! It might interest you to know that other drivers see the same thing when they look at.

    We need "Asshole Darts" on our cars!

  5. Stephanie PTY says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 200910:14 am 

    Five girls who had just (as in, days before) graduated from high school died in a fiery crash in my town. Later, it was found that the crash may have been caused by the driver texting. We'll never be able to really know, since all five girls died almost instantly. All we know is that a text was sent from the driver's phone mere seconds before the crash.

    That video is tame compared to what really happened to the girls who died on a road I drove nearly every day. The SUV the girls were in crashed head on with a semi, and almost immediately caught fire and was completely consumed by the flames. The driver of the semi escaped with minor injuries. There were four other girls going on the roadtrip, who were following behind in another car, and saw the entire thing unfold before their eyes. They watched their friends crash and die.

    You can read the whole story here: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll…

    My point it, that video is a completely realistic version of what could happen. In fact, as I said, it's actually tame. I just hope it works.

  6. Michelle says:
    Tue, 25th Aug 20092:22 pm 

    I do not condone texting while driving, but actually, the way this PSA depicted the crash is rather unrealistic. All the girls are wearing seatbelts. As such, they really wouldn't flop around that much, nonetheless have the head smashed through the window. Plus, that car isn't that old, meaning they'd have air bags on both the side and front, providing stablization. European PSAs are known for having a large scare factor to them, so this PSA isn't that surprising.

  7. Brittany says:
    Wed, 26th Aug 20091:56 am 

    Here's one reason why the ad may not be as effective as they want it to be:

    The girl who is texting looks at her screen for WAY TOO LONG when she's texting. Do you ever look at your phone for that long? No, most people look up and down every second or so, and a second is probably the longest you look at the screen. I'm not sure how teenagers text and drive, maybe they do look at the screen longer. You can tell the ad was made by people who have never texted and driven at the same time, obviously.

    I still think the ad is shocking and definitely made me think twice. But I really think the people that see this ad that text and drive will say, "she looked at the phone for way to long."

  8. Megan says:
    Wed, 26th Aug 20095:50 am 

    I think that we should bring forth the same public service announcement. I just got my license yesterday and one of my biggest fears is other drivers, as it should be. The thought that someone could be ignorant like that and possibly kill me in an intersection etc is terrifying.

    It only takes a moment to realize you're over accelerating. And it's no time at all to slam through an intersection. We need to bring hard tactics like this against driving while distracted. Seriously..

    and I think if you kills someone, give the person the same penalty as the person who robbed a bank/premeditated murder. 25 to life. Vehicular homicide and in jail for 5 years…I don't think that's enough.

  9. Star says:
    Wed, 26th Aug 20096:38 am 

    I don't know what it might look like in real life, though when I was in a minor car accident with my seat belt on, it still threw me around a lot. That was just a fender bender but once the seat belt snapped it threw me backwards into the seat pretty hard. I'm just glad I was wearing it because otherwise a minor fender bender might have caused more damage if I had hit the steering wheel or the windshield.

    That part in the video where the girls look at each other and then you see the second car coming out of nowhere really freaked me out. I've been guilty of sending a few texts while driving but never again. I don't want to be responsible for someone dying because I just had to tell my friends some minor detail about my day. I don't know about others, but this ad definitely worked for me.

    On the other hand, I don't think someone, such as the driver in this video, should get prison time for that. Maybe there should be some laws, but I don't think it'll stop most people because they won't think it could happen to them. If that had been a real video, that poor girl would have been scarred enough for her lifetime without sending her to jail. Often your friends don't tell you to stop texting either. You should tell the driver to knock it off, not sit there and laugh with them. I know it's just an ad, but I've seen that happen a lot in real life too, the part where everyone in the car is looking at the phone.

  10. Hannah says:
    Thu, 27th Aug 200912:39 pm 

    I'm glad they showed that maybe idiots will stop texting while driving and if you seriously aren't considering not texting while driving on that then all I wish for you is good luck.In my town there was a crash involing girls texting while driving.I would never even consider texting while driving!If you can't seriously wait to text until after driving considering all the people you could put in danger then I honestly believe that they has to be something wrong with you.

  11. JohnE says:
    Fri, 28th Aug 20097:23 am 

    The only thing that will help is a change in societal attitudes. If we treated driving more like Germany.

    In germany they didn't understand the need for cupholders because why would you drink. You are driving that is all you are doing.

  12. Fyndy says:
    Sun, 6th Sep 20095:02 pm 

    "No, most people look up and down every second or so, and a second is probably the longest you look at the screen."

    Britteny, it only takes a second to lose control or make a mistake, especially with a 3000lb car! I'm a nurse, and let me tell you, I've seen kids come in that swore up and down they only did such and such for "a second" It only takes that to seriously injure yourself or worse, kill others.

    Don't be so blaise about something so serious.

  13. lawyermommy says:
    Mon, 7th Sep 20095:08 am 

    Our population is growing at an alarming rate. Texting might be the little known population control tool! JUST KIDDING!

    Seriously tho, it is totally unsafe to drive and text. I KNOW this. :)

    LM

  14. Frank says:
    Thu, 10th Sep 20092:07 am 

    You wouldn't be working on your term paper while driving. What makes texting while driving any safer?

    Is it necessary to get all gory when it comes to texting and driving. YES, because people don't seem to get it. Talking on the phone is one thing; staring down at a tiny kepyboard using both thumbs to type out a message that your BFF is sleeping with your man — and the BFF IS a man — while going 60 mph in traffic? Your social life will take a backseat when you're paralyzed, crippled, dead, or worse, killed someone and you're living with that knowledge.

  15. Frank says:
    Thu, 10th Sep 20092:14 am 

    As to those that'll respond with, "But I do it all the time, and I'm fine!" my answer is this: it only takes one. One sperm to impregnate an egg. One shot to win a championship. One second of looking away to end a life.

    Just one.

    All those other times don't mean anything, just that one time, and that's it. Game over.

  16. Laura says:
    Sat, 20th Mar 20104:35 pm 

    I agree with Frank with the 'just one'. I saw this on Facebook and saved it to my favorites. You can throw all the facts and pictures at me, but a life-like video of all the reality and effects made me cry. No, I don't text at all, but it's a wonderful reminder of what that one mistake can do. What really hit me was all the guilt that texter must have felt. She looked in her friend's eyes right before she died. You can get hit multiple times. She has to live with that guilt forever. That is what made a difference.

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