Brit's 'Texting While Driving' PSA No Worse Than MADD After School Specials
Should Parents Force Their Texting Teens to Watch This PSA on YouTube?
Driver's Education in the early 90s
As a high school student, Driver's Education was a required subject to graduate. During Driver's Ed class, we watched many films, including after school specials dealing with driving under the influence. During that time,MADD was immensely popular and all over the television with their PSAs. I remember watching a film that scared me to death. From my recollection, it wasn't any worse than the British PSA I viewed on YouTube. The realistic nature of the British PSA means that teens may take the message more seriously, versus showing teens 20 year old movies with hokey music and even worse acting.
Today's teens aren't watching TV after school. They are on their mobile devices or their computer. Posting a PSA on YouTube was a brilliant way to get the message out to teen drivers who are either texting now or may be tempted to do so in the future.
What can parents do to discourage texting while driving?
One thing that comes to mind is that cell phone carriers have account information online. This data, available at parents' fingertips, outlines what type of activity occurred, be it a call or a text. These are time stamped. Parents who adopt a zero tolerance rule for texting or talking on the cell phone while driving need to let their teens know that they can and will follow up by checking billing records and that any unauthorized texting or calls will be met with the suspension of driving privileges.
Parents should also consider having their teens watch the texting while driving PSA on YouTube, and these parents should watch the video with their texting teen driver. This reporter has witnessed traffic accidents in the past and the portrayal of the accident was extremely realistic. The PSA is only 4 minutes long, so parents can easily make the time to view the video with their teen.
Sources:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/09/13/2008-09-13_california_train_wreck_caused_when_engin.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk
Published by Carly Hart
One of AC's Top 1000 Content Producers, Carly Hart's interests include news, politics, parenting, frugal living and consumer related issues. A Featured Contributor in the Shopping and Fashion category, she... View profile
- Texting While Driving or Riding a BikeUse safety while texting. Do not text while driving or riding a bike!
- Texting While Driving (TWD) is a Dangerous PracticeThere is a bill on Missouri Governor Nixon's desk that would allow people to text while driving their cars.
No Texting While Driving Law Passed in IllinoisOn August 6th, 2009, Governor Pat Quin, passed a new law stating that drivers can no longer text while driving in Illinois. - Talking or Texting While DrivingAt least have the respect, decency, and intelligence to stay off the phone while behind the wheel.
Should Text Messaging While Driving Be Illegal?Poll reveals some interesting findings about text messaging while driving.
- Texting While Driving PSA Shocks, Sickens Viewers
- Texting While Driving Commercial Controversial
- Companies Move to Stop Teen Cell Phone Calls and Texting While Driving
- Texting While Driving - a Deadly Combination
- Survey: Nine of Ten Support New Laws to Ban Texting While Driving
- Texting While Driving: Danger, Danger, Danger!
- Texting While Driving Girl Causes Accident; Should it Be Shown?
8 Comments
Post a Commentany one have another link to this video besides youtube?
Is it too graphic%3F GOD NO%21 There is nothing %22too graphic%22 for driver saftey if it means making a kid throw up...so be it. Its better than having another teen get into an accident and kill people like that
Many people think it won't happen to them. I think this vid is as close as you can get to experiencing this without actually dying or killing someone.
It made a believer out of me and I think they should show it in driver's ed classes.
Watching something that graphic can be devastating for certain kinds of people, particularly those with strong visual memories and those prone to trauma. No one should make any one size fits all decisions with respect to something that for some people will cause more harm than it is trying to prevent.
Man, that is an excellent video. Nice job on this one.
I saw the video just to see what it was. And I happen to agree, its no worse than the MADD ads and the drunk driving videos we watched in Driver's Ed. This really is a message I think everyone should watch, not just teenagers. Its unfortunate that parents will force their kids to watch this without taking a good look at it themselves...all ages are guilty of texting and driving.
Good coverage, Reality isn't too graphic, I'd think :)