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Texting and Driving: Is This PSA Too Graphic?

Now that more states are banning talking on cell phones while driving, many of us have incorporated wireless earpieces into our driving regimen. Unfortunately, though, many drivers continue to text when they’re behind the wheel. A recent Virginia Tech study found that those who text while driving are twenty-three times more likely to be involved in a collision than non-texters, and yet many of us—teens and adults—still do it.

This PSA, produced by the Gwent Police Department in Gwent, Wales, shows the potential outcome of texting while driving in graphic detail. While it’s likely too graphic to make its way to U.S. television, many are making the argument that this should be required viewing for U.S. teens. What do you think? Would you show this video to your teenager? Do you think it would be effective in getting the message across or do you think it’s too much?

First published August 2009

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Key terms (tags) for this article:
police, tween, driving, car accident, texting, social issues (view other popular tags)

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Comments

I sending this to my daughter who has one daughter (my grandaugther). She is an a great Mother to her child, BUT, she talks on the phone and texts while driving . I am so overwhelmed with the thought of her doing it when I am not there to nag her. (in her car) I get thoughts of what could happen because of her actions. She seems to think "oh this won't happen to me". Because of the pride of being a good Mother, I would think she would not do this. But she does. I hope and pray that she will be a good enough Mom to realize the danger she puts herself and child (or another innocent family) in EVERY time she does it. I hope she can bring herself to watch these videos. Every driver should have to watch these.

I'm a 17yrod girl and this PSA is great, though it's just a bit violent and over dramatized for my taste. I DON'T think for a second the accident is that bad. Another problem i had with it was the girl and her friend were idiots. No one was looking at the road...NO ONE. One more thing, the driver that hit her head on, CLEARLY doesn't have any defensive driving knowledge and yet again the car that hit them on the side, they're an idiot for hitting TWO STOPPED CARS THAT GOT IN A CRASH! But i digress...if this was shown to a group of readily immature high schoolers all you would hear is laughter, complaints and cringes. Laughter, because the girls were stupid and the dramatization is out of control. Complaints from the girls who want attention and leave the room cause "omg that's scarey, no!". And finally you would hear cringes from the people who learned something. Show it. They still tell kids not to have sex right? Look at the teen pregnancy rate now. As for myself, i learned nothing.

Is seeing this video worse than having the real accident ? I think not. People have to be taught that texting whilst driving is totally, but totally unacceptable. Any body caught should have their license taken away for a minimum of 10 years and their car taken away and crushed. I really worry that the car coming towards me could have a texter at the wheel and I may not live to see tomorrow. This video should play on TV, especially in the middle of teen shows and it should be shown in schoolls during drivers ed.

by the way, technically speaking, this is no more graphic than the movies Gladiator or Braveheart. just two movies they showed us in high school that are graphic. the only reason it seems so graphic is because its on a more personal level and it could happen to someone we know or us.

I don't thinks that it's to graphic. Me and a friend on mine posted this on our facebook and a lot of our friends responded my saying how powerful the video was that they would never text while driving again. Now weather that's true or not, it still got the message across to many of my friends still in high school.