The sounds of necks snapping and the sight of blood splattering on the windshield should affect how students feel about using their cell phone and sending text messages while driving.
At least, that’s what British Transportation officials hope when they introduced a controversial new television campaign aimed at stopping teens from texting while behind the wheel.
Yet Seaholm students--including those who have seen the graphic and bloody PSA-- still have that urge to communicate from the car.
“When I’m driving far places, I feel rude if I don’t respond to the person I’m texting,” said junior Samantha Mee. “If I’m just on a straight road, I don’t feel nervous [about texting] because there is usually no one around me.”
But according to a study conducted in July 2009, it was found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting, regardless of the type of road the driver is on. And that is exactly the message the British PSA is trying to send.
The Public Service Announcement was shown during regular programming in Britain, and is now found on various web sites promoting making texting while driving illegal.
The video begins with images of three teen girls driving down the road for a seemingly normal car ride. But when the driver takes her eyes off the road to send a text, she swerves into oncoming traffic, and hits another car head on.
This collision ends violently; her car is smashed three different times. The screen then shows the girls being whipped around the car. The driver was the only survivor in the first car, and when the screen shows the other two cars involved, a helpless baby is shown, lifeless.
In another car, a girl witnessed her parent’s death, and she is screaming for them, confused as to why they aren’t answering her. With shots of blood filling the screen, the video ends with helicopters airlifting the only two survivors of the appalling car wreck caused by texting behind the wheel.
“[The video] was so disturbing, I could barely finish it,” said junior Lauren Rentschler.
Senior Sammy Shebib feels that students overestimate their texting skills, and feel invincible on the road.
“Our age group grew up in the era where we need to text,” said Shebib. “We think we’ve mastered texting, and that we can handle it on the road. But the likelihood of the majority of kids stopping texting while driving is slim; kids will text and drive soon after they see [the PSA]. It’s sad.”
Other students choose not to text behind the wheel.
“I don’t text [while driving] because it’s a major distraction and I can’t concentrate when I’m on the road,” said senior Richaud Pack. “I tried it once and I hit a trash can.”
“I’m incapable of multitasking while driving,” said Rentschler.
Although texting while driving is still legal in Michigan, other states have anti-texting laws. States that have already banned it include Washington, Illinois, Missouri, and 14 other states. In Utah, the drivers face up to 15 years in prison if anyone is hurt in an accident where texting is involved. Texting while driving also enforces the same penalties as drunk driving in Utah, and is no longer classified as an accident, but is placed in the reckless driving category.
Michigan senator John Pappageorge has recently signed as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 468, which will prohibit the use of handheld cell phones while driving.
“This bill is currently before the Senate Committee on Transportation,” said Pappageorge. “As this and other legislation regarding the use of cell phones moves through the Legislature, my priority remains to prevent drivers from being distracted while operating a vehicle. I will continue to work on this important safety issue.”
While texting behind the wheel is not illegal yet in Michigan, the AAA Michigan Spokesperson Nancy Cain believes it is extremely dangerous and life threatening.
“AAA encourages people not to text and drive,” said Cain. “People, especially young people who are new to driving, should keep their eyes on the road at all times. In many cases, people take their eyes off the road and are much more likely to have an accident.”
