Have you ever had the terrifying experience of passing a serious accident on the road? You feel sick and sad and hope beyond hope that the people involved are all okay.
Well some folks out in California apparently had a bit of a scare last week when a non-profit group called Impact Teen Drivers was filming a public service announcement along a Seaside, Calif., roadway.
According to KION News, several people driving by the “set” thought that they were witnessing the aftermath of a fatal accident. There were cars flipped over and bodies (actors) on the pavement.
There are a ton of public service announcements (PSAs) out there that have very frightening, very true images of what can happen when drivers aren’t safe behind the wheel. One PSA that struck me most was made in England and shows a fatal accident in its entirety; from the initial text message to the police breaking out the “jaws of life” to the driver being air lifted to the hospital, the viewer watches the whole scene in agonizingly slow motion. Click here to view the PSA but please be warned that it is VERY graphic and may be upsetting to some.
When I was in high school, I always felt that I was being preached at, like the adults in my life were throwing fatality statistics at me as a scare tactic. I didn’t appreciate it then, but after losing not one, but three friends to distracted or reckless driving, I’ve realized how important these messages are.
Bridgestone Americas runs a program called Safety Scholars, a contest for drivers ages 16 through 21 that asks them to create a short, 25- or 55-second PSA for the chance to win a $5,000 scholarship. These PSAs can be funny, serious, animated or use legos; it’s the message not the materials. Voting for the 2010 winner is on now, so please go vote for the video you think should win! And, if you’re game, check out the contest and consider making a video for next year!
Images of car wrecks and people getting hurt are NOT what you want to think of when you first start driving. You want to focus on your newfound freedom and driving down the street with the windows down and some cool, summer music playing on your car stereo. I know. Trust me. I’ve been there. But it is SO important to keep these messages in the forefront of your mind.
Think of it this way: you’d rather be driving to your friend’s house then to your friend’s funeral, right?
