Thursday, September 3, 2009
Don't text and drive - it could kill you and your friends
Shock and gore is probably the only way to describe a graphic police film produced to persuade young drivers not to text on mobile phones while at the wheel. Worryingly, about half of all drivers aged 18 to 24 currently do text while driving.
A group of teenage girls are seen driving along in a Ford Ka, smiling and chatting, as the driver starts to text a boyfriend.
Within a few seconds of the information film starting, the Ford Ka steers into traffic travelling in the opposite direction and screams are heard as the vehicle crashes.
Viewers see in graphic detail an horrific multiple smash - the girls hit the windscreen and dashboard. The head of one passenger snaps back and hits a side window, smashing it to smithereens.
Blood is everywhere. The film, made by Gwent police, then shows help arriving and the emergency services taking over at the accident scene to cut battered bodies out of mangled wreckage and airlift the injured to hospital.
Research shows that reading and writing texts impairs driving more than drugs or drink, slowing reaction times by as much as 35%. Texters drift out of traffic lanes, driving performance was poor and steering control became worse.
If you were ever thinking about texting while driving, you'll not want to consider it after watching this film. You won't want to risk putting lives in danger. And the film will have done its job.
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