Will violent, bloody video stop people from texting and driving?
August 28, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: cell phones and safety, Fatality, safety video/photo, Special Report, Transportation safety, What do you think?
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A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, more than 1.5 million people have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.
The town of Gwent police department made the video last summer. It starts with a multi-vehicle crash caused by a young woman who was texting while driving. The first four minutes have turned up on YouTube. (Warning: The video is very violent.)
The driver is the only survivor in her car. Two of her friends die in the crash.
The video shows much more than the crash and its immediate aftermath. It also shows the future: the aftershocks that change the lives of the young survivor and her family.
In an interview with CBS News, the video’s writer and director, Peter Watkins, said, “Yes it is violent, but the reality of a fatal road accident is much more gruesome, is much more violent. My position is that if you are old enough to drive, you are old enough to want to drive, you are old enough to be aware of the real and serious risks one places yourself in every time you get behind the wheel.”
Gwent police chief constable Mick Giannasi said, “We have had e-mail after e-mail from people saying, ‘I will never ever text and drive again’ — from young people.”
Watch the video via the link above. Let us know what you think in the Comments Box below. Or, take our poll about this subject on the SafetyNewsAlert.com home page.
If you’d like more information about this video, send an e-mail to: corporate.communications@gwent.pnn.police.uk
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Tags: Gwent Wales police, texting and driving video, YouTube texting driving video
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August 31st, 2009 at 9:49 am
People tend to have short memories. I’d like to think this video will invoke a reduction in our techno crash clustered life style while behind the controls of our planes,trains and of course automobiles. Any personal hand held electroincs use while at the controls should be banned except for emergency purposes. Its the only solution period. As many lives that the cell phone may have saved its unfortunate that in parallel it takes its toll of life.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:40 am
Sobering… I wish all new drivers were forced to see this!!!
August 31st, 2009 at 10:59 am
Sometimes it takes seeing what the worst that can happen to scare people into being more safety conscious. I’m glad this video was made.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:01 am
Our organization teaches Defensive Driving and this is a very good film. If it is available for purchase I would get one.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:35 am
I saw the video and truth be told, it is not delivering a complete message. The aftermath of the texting crash is not exclusive to the results of a texting related crash, but is the potential aftermath of any crash.
I think we have a habit of focusing on one problem and blowing it up to be ‘the’ problem. The message that should be sent is stupid driving is reckless - regardless of whether you’re texting, shaving, quieting a baby in the back seat, changing your clothes, grabbing something off of the floor etc. You get my point. We focus on the texting, in this case, and forget about the hundreds of other small things we do every day while driving that could cause an accident.
Drive when you are driving, story told.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:36 pm
The video is pretty gut-wrenching because it’s fairly realistic. But I think it’s going to take this kind of graphic video to get people’s attention and make them think twice about doing stupid things while driving. Young people especially think they are bulletproof, though we all have the tendency to think it will never happen to us…only “the other guy.” I think this type of video is needed to drill home just how dangerous this behavior truly is. Enough studies have been done to indicate it’s even worse than driving while intoxicated, so it’s time to address the issue both by making it illegal and by making the consequences known.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
It’s not going to make much difference. They used to show fatal accidents in drivers education in high school and people say the same thing, that they aren’t going to drink and drive. Yet was still have alcohol related accidents and many involve death.
Yes, people say they’ll never text and drive again but they will start up again within a couple weeks of watching the film.
The only way to get the message across is to catch them in the act and have them suffer some consequences before they really do start getting the message. Maybe even a near death experience.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I agree with Kim! This video (i got it on Facebook) is also a powerful commentary on seatbelt use (no one in the videos is weraing one, if I recall correctly). It is not simply about texting and driving.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
All cell phone drivers bother me…Hang up and drive, the roads will be much safer and more tolerable when you have a bunch of focused people on the road instead of a bunch of people texting and talking on the phone!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I think the video has a positive impact on driver safety and be shown to all teen drivers as part of drivers education. I don’t think this video could hurt for anyone to see it. Loosing a brother to a fatal car accident. Anything that increases awareness of seat belt usage is a plus in my book. Great is cell phones are they can be dangerous being used behind a wheel of a car for pedestrians, other drivers and passengers.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I was hit in an emergency room parking lot by a guy who was dialing his wife who worked there. He was running late to pick her up. He T- boned my car on the drivers side, my windows were down and my glasses flew 100 feet from the vehicle. Texting or dialing is easy to do, but it only takes a second for a crash. This is important and I would love to show this film in my driver training classes.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Holy !!!! I have tears running down my face just thinking about how I would feel if I were at the wheel of that vehicle. I have asked my CEO to let me show this video at our next Safety Meeting. I’ll bet when I talk about distracted driving next time, they will listen.
I also emphatically agree with Kim. This video points out the risk of ANY distraction while driving. It could be eating, or pouring coffee, or trying to break up a fight between the kids in the back seat. Any time a driver takes their eyes and mind off the road this could be the result….is it worth it? Not for me it isn’t!
September 4th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Some people should not be allowed to multitask while driving.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Did anyone ever change their behavior in reaction to the old Driver’s Ed films they used to subject teens to years ago? Judging by the number of deaths of my high school friends, NO. This kind of common sense should be taught MUCH earlier in a person’s development, by both teachers AND parents. How about a device in the car disabling all cell phone transmissions except 911 while driving?
September 21st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I think this video should be shown to ALL drivers, not just teens. We tend to single out the young drivers as the ones who are texting or are otherwise driving while distracted but, next time your driving your daily commute, look around you. In my short (15 minute) commute each morning, I can guarantee that over 50% of the adults I see on the road are talking on their cell phone. What is ridiculous is that anyone can purchase a bluetooth headset for around $20.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
James, nevermind some, nobody should be doing anything but driving when operating a vehicle.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
To Marilyn: In my city the school districts have begun scrambling cell phone devices while you are driving in a school zone. High risk areas like school zones make a lot of sense to disable your ability to talk on a phone. There are signs posted that this will happen too, so the city has performed the duty of care in warning about what will happen.
I disagree that a device inside a car disabling all cell phone transmissions while driving is appropriate. Self-responsibility is the answer here.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Aida, I think Marilyn has a great idea. Not everyone is responsible. It only takes one irresponsible driver on a cell phone to injure or even kill someone that (Heaven forbid) could be your relative or loved one. Then how would you feel after agreeing it’s alright to drive and use a cellphone?
October 5th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Bill: Please understand that I do not want people to talk on the phone while driving. I don’t answer the phone when I’m on the road, and because of caller ID, I can call back anyone who called me when it’s safe to call.
However, I would hate that person who is unable to use their phone to call home for a non-emergency situation that is important. The problem with yours and Marilyn’s suggestion is that it removes the self-responsibility from the person, which is what I am in favor of. A blanket scrambling of phone calls in high risk areas makes people put down their cell phones and pay attention to children in a school zone.
In Houston, a distracted driver was recently convicted of killing someone:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6653161.html
October 6th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Aida, Like I mentioned before, not all will be self- responsible. So in order to try to make sure nobody gets injured/killed from drivers using cellphones is to ban them while driving altogether or use Marilyn’s idea. We cannot rely on self-responsibility. By the way, when your phone rings while your driving, do you take your eyes off the road to look for your phone and/or to look to see who is calling? That’s just as bad as using your cellphone.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Bill, I understood your point the first time. You do not need to restate it. I disagree with you though. It is fundamentally wrong to “big brother” Americans. You are right — some people are irresponsible. But who are you to tell them how they can live their lives? Don’t you think that there are people who think that something you do is wrong? Would you want them to dictate how you should live your life?
BTW, the President just signed an order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-24203.pdf
But to answer your question, if I receive a phone call while I am driving, I do not answer it. As I stated before, I wait until a more appropriate time to take the call. I know who called me, so I can call them back.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Aida, The question was, and I repeat, “When your phone rings while your driving, do you take your eyes off the road to look for your phone and/or to look to see who is calling? I didn’t mention anything about answering it. Also, what gives a person the right to possibly injure or even kill someone else because of cellphone use and driving, knowing that the possibility is there? And to answer your question, yes I would like someone to tell me (dictate to me) when I’m doing something wrong that would injure or kill someone else. When it’s about wrong doing that involves sin, I have the Lord Jesus to tell me, and I do obey.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Aida,
We understand your point but I have to agree with Bill.
You are operating a machine that requires your full attention that is being taken for granted.
Your operation of that machine involves the safety of people around you and their lives cannot be dependent upon whether or not you’re being personally responsible. There are times when people need to be “Big Brothered.” It’s not about your personal freedoms, it’s about public safety. If you think the Government has no right to “Big Brother” you, well you have no right to accidentally take the life of someone else because you were exercising your personal freedom.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Okay Bill, to directly answer your question, given that you didn’t understand my answer in two separate postings, no I don’t take my eyes off the road to look for my cell phone to see who’s calling. As I said twice before, I wait until it is safe to call, meaning I wait until I either get to my destination or if it will take some time to get there, I pull off the road into a safe parking lot to see who called me.
At that point, when I am in a parking lot or at my destination, THEN I will call back whoever called me. It is a rarity that someone calls me from a private number wherein I cannot see who called, but those people leave me messages, and I will call them back.
Do you understand now?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Watching this video has impacted me. I do not text and drive but know I no longer even talk on the phone or anything else when driving. I think every driver should see this young or old.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:09 am
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April 6th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
When I was learning to drive way back when, we were made to watch “Ohio Blue” a colorful dity by the Ohio State Police. Hasn’t slowed down my generation any as far as I can see….don’t see why this ‘flick’ would be any more successful….
April 7th, 2010 at 11:45 am
But Thomas, did those films make you more aware and careful? Nevertheless, if that film is affecting others in a positive way then it is successful.
May 25th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I sent this to my son right after it came out, I used to be a medic, so not only did he see what was going on but underneath I wrote a blow by blow of what was happening to the victims. When it was over I talked to him about the aftermath, “what kind of life do you think she’ll have, did mom and dad lose everything due to lawsuits, how do you think she feels walking to school or down the street when everyone knows what she did,” etc. The next thing I know he has sent it all over his dorm and it went out every where from there. The old videos they showed us, please, Roy Rogers was chilling compared to those videos. These kids have been exposed to so much it takes something to shock the pants off them to get their attention. I would show it, but before I did I would warn employees how violent the piece was before hand, that way you won’t have to worry about law suits from people getting sick, then hurt from watching it. As far as it not lasting, that’s were your training should come in. After showing it you can reinforce the issue by posting news articles, more training, etc. This will keep it fresh in their minds.
October 30th, 2010 at 9:28 am
People tend to have short memories. I’d like to think this video will invoke a reduction in our techno crash clustered life style while behind the controls of our planes,trains and of course automobiles. Any personal hand held electroincs use while at the controls should be banned except for emergency purposes. Its the only solution period. As many lives that the cell phone may have saved its unfortunate that in parallel it takes its toll of life.