Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Texting While Driving PSA--watch this video!

Have you seen this public service announcement video about texting while driving? Take a few minutes and watch it:




I just saw it, and I'm still feeling a little shaky from it. It's WAY intense and made my gut twist. It's not "real," fortunately, but it definitely makes its point.


The state I live in, Ohio, has made texting while driving illegal (and in one city, you're not even allowed to be talking on your cell while driving).


Texting is a dangerous distraction, one that this video totally reinforced for me. I hope this video gets around and more people watch it.


So, after seeing it, how did it make you feel? Would you show this video to your kids? Do you think this should be shown in high schools, like how they do the drunk driving video presentations? I plan on showing this video to my kids, especially my 13-year-old daughter. God forbid something like this happens to her.

10 comments:

  1. My daughter starts driver's ed tonight, and I think growing up with a mom who was in a terrible accident has taught her the risks of losing focus while you drive. I'll never know exactly what happened (by the time I woke up, I couldn't remember 4 weeks of my life), but I must've lost focus - since according to the police report, the accident was my fault. I wasn't texting or talking on any phone; I was alone in the car. So, even if your kids know not to talk or text, remind them to keep their eyes and their minds on the road. No distraction is worth losing your life over.

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  2. OMG that's so scary!! Thank you for sharing that--EXCELLENT point about staying aware. You really do need to be a careful, defensive driver. Accidents can happen in a blink.

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  3. When I was in high school our principal, Mr. Deftos, had the police put a car that had been mangled beyond recognition right in front of the main entrance to the school during prom season.

    He got a lot of flack for it, but there were no accidents that year.

    These things are hard to watch but losing a kid is harder.

    Great post, Rhonda.

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  4. I'm weird. That kinda PSA doesn't really affect me. I know it can happen and it can be bad, but in my mind I think of these things as 'worse case scenarios' so they don't work on me. A bad accident like that could occur if someone sneezed at the wrong timewhile driving.

    That said, texting while driving is dangerous and it scares me that these teens are out there, driving these weapons and texting their bffs while I'm on the road. I'd be lying if I said I'd never done it myself, but the more I hear about the research being done (comparing texting to Drinking and Driving) the more I know how bad it is.

    The research works for me. That PSA? Not so much.

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  5. I'm glad I didn't watch that while eating lunch. I feel queasy. And I don't text. Ever. I don't have the right phone.

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  6. Wow. That's...probably as graphic as most of today's teens need. I mean, they see so much worse than that on TV and video games, that death isn't "real" until they realize that it's their OWN life and their friend's that they're risking.

    My own kids are younger, though...and yes I'd probably tell them to look away.

    But speaking of Ohio...which city is phone talking illegal? (Just in case I ever go there.) And is it okay if you use a handsfree?

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  7. Omg this video freaked me out. I'm not a driver yet, but I do know people that do it while driving and I always scream at them but they don't listen...I'll def. show them this video and maybe they'll change their mind..thanks for sharing..

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  8. Amanda Brice11:12 AM

    I absolutely think it should be shown to teens.

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  9. Sometimes I can't even listen to music when I'm driving. I can't imagine texting--which by the way--I'm not very good at either.

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  10. Woah - that really was intense.

    I think the part that got to me the most was the baby. My baby is about that age. Getting into an accident with my kids in the car is one of my biggest fears.

    I generally don't text while driving (though I have) but I doubt I ever will again. I'm not sure I'll even look at my phone again. Yikes!

    Can you imagine being responsible for a wreck like that?

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