Friday 4th September 2009

Hard-Hitting Road Safety Vid Goes Global

Gory Gwent Police flick is an international smash on YouTube

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This four-minute YouTube clip of a 30-minute film made by Gwent police to illustrate the dangers of texting while driving has sparked global debate on the subject, and gathered more than six million views in a matter of weeks.

The film's writer and director, Peter Watkins-Hughes, put the clip on line to show a friend, but it was soon picked up by users stretching from South America to India. Fox TV in the US and the New York Times have even picked the story up.

It's a pretty gory affair, but check it out by clicking on the image below; we wouldn't recommend tucking into a three-course meal while you watch, however. The full film will be screened on BBC Wales this autumn.

The chief constable of Gwent Police, Mick Giannasi, says: "The messages contained in the film are as relevant to the people of Tennessee as they are to the residents of Tredegar," he said. "Texting and driving can have tragic consequences and the more this film is viewed, the better. Young people think they can text on auto-pilot because they do it so instinctively. For that reason we need to use strong imagery to get them to sit up and take notice."

[UltimaCH]

Saw the vid some weeks ago and was impressed. I passed it on to all the members of my family and freinds alike. Wish more like this one were made and shown. I live in Switzerland but when I see the number of people with a mobile in their hands fiddling or talking while driving, its crazy and scary. The fine if caught is "only" CHF 100.- (around 60 GPB), but the danger involved has no price. As one choses to either drink or drive, the same should be applied to the use of the mobile phone.

[derek29]

i dont se why people are so insentive to do anything but drive. texting while driving to me is more dangerous than making a phone call as your eyes are on the screen, not the road.

it should be a new rule that at the end of a theroy test or final driving test, every one should be shown a couple videos like this. i would rather watch these type of videos for a solid day than to go through it myself.

[Dunk76]

Unpleasant when you get to the kids in the back of the Mondeo.

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. Certainly I didn't calm down on Motorbikes until I had a big one aged Seventeen - despite having seen a mate killed coming off his in front of my eyes six months previously.

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

[nonuts]

Very well made IMO.

[R66STU]

someone at work was bragging about texting on a motorbike the other day..i mean he diserves to be shot im a keen biker and wouldnt dream of it. more to the point... why would you?

[Rob P]

Boils my urine when I see people "nodding" their head as they text and drive at the same time, taking their eyes off the road for 2-3 seconds at a time...

[psymonr]

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. Certainly I didn't calm down on Motorbikes until I had a big one aged Seventeen - despite having seen a mate killed coming off his in front of my eyes six months previously.

I think this is absolutely correct, so it isn't likely to work on the people it needs to, the problem with this type of 'warning' is often watched by people who are interested in driving and already know the potential something like texting has to cause horrendous accidents, that and it would probably be a bit too long to get through to younger people,

[dean8718]

I will admit that I do text and talk on the phone while driving but I seem to have a different view on this than most. I don't think its dangerous, not really. Texting yes more so than talking but I still think I can do both without crashing. Also what the F**k was the third car doing on the wrong side of the road.

[psymonr]

dean8718 said:

I will admit that I do text and talk on the phone while driving but I seem to have a different view on this than most. I don't think its dangerous, not really. Texting yes more so than talking but I still think I can do both without crashing.

article said:

people think they can text on auto-pilot because they do it so instinctively

There in lies the problem

ETA: The other thing is, I think because the crash is caused by such a fundamental error i.e. being on the wrong side of the road, most people texting while driving will just think, "I wont end up on the wrong side of the road like she did, I can drive better than them", I think they should go for something more in keeping with the average level of driving,

Edited by psymonr on Friday 4th September 11:27

[ChapppeRS]

The "don't text and drive" scene in the film Seven Pounds was bad enough. They wrecked a really nice Corvette Stingray in that

[Dunk76]

psymonr said:

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. Certainly I didn't calm down on Motorbikes until I had a big one aged Seventeen - despite having seen a mate killed coming off his in front of my eyes six months previously.

I think this is absolutely correct, so it isn't likely to work on the people it needs to, the problem with this type of 'warning' is often watched by people who are interested in driving and already know the potential something like texting has to cause horrendous accidents, that and it would probably be a bit too long to get through to younger people,

Most stuff like this doesn't really affect people until they have kids, in my opinion.

As a student of Military history, I was never really bothered by the horrendous images of things like the SS Einsatzgruppen executing Russian women and just throwing their screaming young kids into the mass graves to save on bullets, not until I had kids of my own. I simply can't look at stuff like that now.

Indeed, I wasn't really that phased by this film until it got to the back of the Mondeo with the apparently dead baby and the young girl asking Mummy and Daddy to wake up. It's the one thing I really fear for with my young family.

Your typical modern under 21 isn't going to give two sts about that. They'll probably sit there thinking 'it's okay for me, I can text without looking...'

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 11:34

[Ricky944s2]

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. ...

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

I have lost count the amount of times some middle aged ponce in his merc/bm/lexus has driven by me with a phone stuck to his ear. And surely if you can afford a merc, you can shed out a 100 quid for a handfree kit???? Its not just teenagers that are sht drivers!!

Grinds my gears when I hear someone type-casting teenagers, its been a long time since I was one but I still remember being looked upon in disgrace by the older generation even though I was a perfect law abiding citzen.

rant over.

[ChapppeRS]

They may be taking the wrong angle on this.

Perhaps the video tagline should be "Don't text while you drive. EVERYONE thinks you're W*NKING"

[skylinecrazy]

Ricky944s2 said:

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. ...

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

I have lost count the amount of times some middle aged ponce in his merc/bm/lexus has driven by me with a phone stuck to his ear. And surely if you can afford a merc, you can shed out a 100 quid for a handfree kit???? Its not just teenagers that are sht drivers!! Grinds my gears when I hear someone type-casting teenagers, its been a long time since I was one but I still remember being looked upon in disgrace by the older generation even though I was a perfect law abiding citzen.rant over.

I agree and I am a teenager.

[Dunk76]

Ricky944s2 said:

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. ...

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

I have lost count the amount of times some middle aged ponce in his merc/bm/lexus has driven by me with a phone stuck to his ear. And surely if you can afford a merc, you can shed out a 100 quid for a handfree kit???? Its not just teenagers that are sht drivers!!

Grinds my gears when I hear someone type-casting teenagers, its been a long time since I was one but I still remember being looked upon in disgrace by the older generation even though I was a perfect law abiding citzen.

rant over.

Did you read the whole of my post before your gears got ground?

The point being Teenagers benefit/suffer from an almost total disregard for their own mortality. As a consequence, what they deem to be acceptable risk in certain situations is usually far greater than someone twice their age - not only because of lack of experience, but also because of that devil-may-care attitude.

Ergo, the video is less likely to have any impact on them because they either view the risk as acceptable (as per the Police's point), or they simply believe it won't happen to them.

Nowhere did I say anything about Teenagers being st at anything.

[george123]

Ricky944s2 said:

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. ...

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

I have lost count the amount of times some middle aged ponce in his merc/bm/lexus has driven by me with a phone stuck to his ear. And surely if you can afford a merc, you can shed out a 100 quid for a handfree kit???? Its not just teenagers that are sht drivers!!

Grinds my gears when I hear someone type-casting teenagers, its been a long time since I was one but I still remember being looked upon in disgrace by the older generation even though I was a perfect law abiding citzen.

rant over.

Completely agree....most of the people I see on the phone while driving are 30 plus in a Mondeo/3 series going down the m/way.
The best example was the guy I saw whilst on the top deck of a bus going around Hyde Park Corner. He was in a Phantom drophead on the phone whilst cutting up someone to turn off the roundabout. Maybe handsfree is an expensive option on a RR.

[Dunk76]

Christ, do you lot need all your sticks labelled at both ends to stop you getting the wrong end?

I didn't say they were st or that they were more likely to something than anyone else.

I said they have a different appreciation of mortality than older people. Hence why the film, which is specifically aimed at them remember, probably won't have the same effect that it would on a load of middle aged people.

Or do you need a picture drawn?

[Ricky944s2]

Dunk76 said:

Ricky944s2 said:

Dunk76 said:

I'm not sure it'll really work given that teenagers have little concept of mortality. ...

Edited by Dunk76 on Friday 4th September 10:56

I have lost count the amount of times some middle aged ponce in his merc/bm/lexus has driven by me with a phone stuck to his ear. And surely if you can afford a merc, you can shed out a 100 quid for a handfree kit???? Its not just teenagers that are sht drivers!!

Grinds my gears when I hear someone type-casting teenagers, its been a long time since I was one but I still remember being looked upon in disgrace by the older generation even though I was a perfect law abiding citzen.

rant over.

Did you read the whole of my post before your gears got ground?

The point being Teenagers benefit/suffer from an almost total disregard for their own mortality. As a consequence, what they deem to be acceptable risk in certain situations is usually far greater than someone twice their age - not only because of lack of experience, but also because of that devil-may-care attitude.

Ergo, the video is less likely to have any impact on them because they either view the risk as acceptable (as per the Police's point), or they simply believe it won't happen to them.

Nowhere did I say anything about Teenagers being st at anything.

Yes, I did read your post, and the point i was getting at is you suggested that the ad is purely aimed at teenagers. I agree with you on their view of mortality, but I also know several 'adults' with that view on mentality also (or maybe just terrible drivers!). Im sure we all do. And I was just stating that it shouldn't just be teenagers that this is aimed at.

[Dunk76]

"Young people think they can text on auto-pilot because they do it so instinctively. For that reason we need to use strong imagery to get them to sit up and take notice."

Says the Policeman.

[methinks]

IMO the problem with all these safety videos is there's always a slightly outlandish part that the writers/directors use to spark the accident off or make it all the more horrifying. Problem is for people watching it gets like Uncanny Valley: the more realistic the video the more these outlandish leap-of-faith narratives become obvious...

Would 3 people really be staring at a phone so intently as to not notice the car was wandering slightly? It's the same as the last major video where the car is thrown onto it's roof, slides down a road to crush two lovers sitting on a wall only for the driver of that car to get out unscathed and look horrified at the scene he's created. Or even the Think Bike, Look Twice video set at a junction where the only reason you "can't see" the bike as the car pulls out is the driver's head in the way! Very realistic...

I'm not saying these videos aren't still hard to watch, but as others have said people love to say "Well that won't happen to me because..." and using OTT narratives will only give people another excuse to brush the underlying message aside...