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Irish International / Vimeo
A NEW ADVERTISEMENT from the Road Safety Authority shows the devastating effect that one spilt second spent texting while driving can have.
The video shows one second in time under a microscope starting with a family barbeque in a rural garden on a sunny day and then switching to to cars driving towards each other on a road. One has a family inside and the other is driven by a man who, just for a second, looks at his phone to reply to a text.
As time returns to normal the viewer sees the crash from the point of view of the mobile phone which is thrown around and ends up on the ground. There we see the inane message the driver was responding to when he looked away – for a split second.
The ad follows the success of the devastatingly sad ‘Don’t Look Back Commercial’:
Brian Farrell, communications manager for the Road Safety Authority of Ireland said mobile phone use is “killing people on Irish roads”.
We know for a fact that making a call while driving will make you four times more likely to crash. However, most people are not aware that you are a staggering 23 times more likely to crash when texting while driving.
“With our new advertising campaign our message is very clear – when you use your mobile phone behind the wheel, taking your mind and eyes off the road for just a split second can destroy everything forever.”
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Good but wasted effort.
We should have laws that mobile are analysed after all accidents to see if they were in use just before any accidents and if so people who survive are prosecuted.
Paul , I think they already do that when investigating an accident
Thats like closing the door after the horse has bolted!
In defence of ads such as this, pretty much no one wore a seatbelt in the back of the car 15/20 years ago. The at times graphic campaign showing the dangers of not wearing one surely had something to do with that.
My feeling is that if even one mobile using moron thinks twice after seeing this ad it will have done some good.
Why is there a far lesser penalty for text driving than drink driving? The RSA know quite well as has been proven by many researches that texting while driving is more dangerous than drink driving. The penalty should fit the crime.
luckily all those speed vans nestled in between the 50 and 60 km speed limits will save everyone. …..
No-one is stupid ,we all know the risks .whether it’s using your phone ,looking back ,getting distracted,they can all be fatal,if it happened to any of us tomorrow we’d all say “if only I didn’t do this or if only I hadn’t done that”it’s a choice we make ,which can have devastating consequences.we just need to be more vigilant/aware in how we drive .
Personally I think these ads just de-sensitizes people to the idea of danger or in the case of ads for charities, suffering.
Every year they have to get more and more graphic to have the same effect. Soon it will be like a final destination movie and just unbelievable/unrelatable.
agree. I usually have to turn these off when they come on the TV as they are too graphic, defeating the purpose. I don’t want my 11 yr old having nightmares.
Wrong thing to do Barry! Your 11 year old is well able to take this on board as long as she feels safe and well in a car where you or any other driver where she is a passenger is NOT on their phone.
wow. so true im afraid.
Because it’s easier to put your phone down than to sober up in a split second.
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