Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Last month, we wrote about the texting-while-driving video produced by the Police Department of Gwent, Wales, a 4-minute graphic glimpse at what happens when a driver, distracted by a text message, unconsciously steers into oncoming traffic. The filmmakers posted the video to YouTube in condensed form (the entire film is 30 minutes long) simply to show a colleague, never expecting it would go viral. Within weeks, it was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube and other web sites. The video’s instant popularity astounded everyone, but some critics wonder whether its message carried through the noise and carnage of the fictitious three-vehicle crash.

Some American safety advocates say that the Welsh movie’s violent dramatization makes for a sensational hit, but doubt that it makes a lasting impact, especially on teens.

“The Welsh ad, and the ones that American groups are making, are giving new life to a longstanding debate in public health circles, where campaigns have tried threats, emotional pleas or implied social pressure to urge people — often unsuccessfully — to quit smoking, be vaccinated, stop using drugs or wear seat belts,” a report in the New York Times observed.

“When you look at something like cellphone use or texting, most people already know these behaviors are not safe, but they do them anyway,” Anne T. McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told the New York Times. “But the challenge in highway safety is that we do unsafe things day after day and don’t end up in a crash, and so I think, over time, people go back to their everyday behaviors.”

That point of view has some validity, but awareness seldom happens overnight. Just a few years ago, few people gave much thought to wearing their seatbelts. Now, however, we have a generation of drivers who can’t imagine getting behind the wheel without buckling up, thanks to scores of seatbelt safety ads in television, radio, and print advertising.

Likewise, few people gave much thought to drinking and driving before MADD was formed in 1980. Now the idea of drinking and getting behind the wheel is an unthinkable crime for most. Raising awareness generally involves a long, slow process in which those trying to get the message across employ a range of tools and approaches tailored to different age groups and audiences.

According to the New York Times, Peter Watkins-Hughes, the Welsh film’s director, said that he listened to what young people had to say about what kind of ad would make an impact. “Young people were telling us, ‘It needs to be more shocking, it needs to be more violent, it needs to be more truthful,’” he said.

“The reality is, if we want our message, which is a lifesaving message, to cut through, we have to adopt certain strategies,” Mr. Watkins-Hughes said. “In this one, we’ve gone for grim reality.”

Richard Tay, a road safety researcher at the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, told the New York Times that he also believes the Welsh ad is an effective one. In it, the teenage driver witnesses her 3 friends, riding with her as passengers, die in the head-on collision.

“The guilt model does work fairly well in young people,” Tay said.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under News, automobile accident, rollover accident, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.