Director Werner Herzog has put together a 35-minute documentary covering several incidents in which texting-while-driving resulted in death or permanent injury. It features detailed monologues by survivors, or (if the victim didn’t survive) by their family members, explaining exactly what the aftermath has been like: paralysis, disfigurement, brain damage, debilitating permanent injuries, and so on. Perhaps more significantly, in most of the cases the perpetrator in each case also provides a monologue explaining what happened, and how they are coping with the guilt over what they did.
If you’ve got a kid with a cell phone who is learning to drive or has recently received a license, this ought to be required viewing:
From One Second To The Next
I have a 16 year old son who has a learner’s permit, and I had him watch it last week.
All those “blood on the highway” videos kept teens from speeding and drinking & driving, so this should solve the texting and driving issue once and for all.
In all seriousness, I applaud this effort. People simply talking on the phone and driving pales in comparison to the danger of people staring at a phone and using a touchscreen to type while driving. It’s a huge danger, especially when inexperienced drivers are involved.
Is this the 2000s equivalent to Red Asphalt?
In that first story, I wonder what happened to the driver? Did she get in trouble? Arrested? Anything? Do they answer the question at the end of this video? I stopped it after watching the first story to ask this question.
It’a not just for kids, either. I have a co-worker who used to occasionally give me a ride home. The first time she started texting while stopped at a red light, I asked her to please not text and drive while I was in the car. The second time she texted while I was in the car was the last time I ever accepted a ride from her. Public transportation may be slow and uncomfortable, but it’s far less likely to get me killed.
I’ve got a better idea. Only give up the car keys in exchange for the mobile device.
-Gatopescado: Run down by a cell-talking teenager.