Here’s an outstanding video that deals with the emotional aftermath of a father’s death caused by texting while behind it wheel. More of a short film than a PSA, the 4-minute drama takes its time getting to the point, but the payoff is powerful.
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority paid for “The Last Word,” which was produced by Dade County-based ad agency Ronin Advertising Group. Kudos all around.
The short film anchors an MDX texting-and-driving pledge campaign, with more than 7,800 signees to date. The pledge goal is 1 million signees.
“What we’ve realized is that many of the campaigns out there focus on the driver’s perspective, said MDX’s Cindy Polo-Serantes. “What we’re trying to show is the aftereffect on one’s family.”
I’m an Ohio man. This right here is all the reasons why Ohio frowns upon texting while driving. You DO NOT only endanger yourself. You can even endanger other people who are using the roads at the same time as you. Too many people get either severely injured or killed on Ohio’s roads because of texting behind the wheel. So ladies and gentlemen, before you get behind the wheel, and/or reach for your phone while driving and hearing that text come through, please think about what mess you could leave behind must you get in an accident that you don’t survive. Please don’t forget that.
I am 100% agaisnt using any type of cell phone, speaking and especially texting. It is a simple task to pull off a road if it’s an emergent issue to take a call. I have been told that someone with the highest alcohol ratio is less dangerous than a person texting. I really can’t believe we have to ask people to stop texting while driving. These folks may as well take out a New York Times and read it while driving. I believe anyone engaged with another on a phone of any type while driving is not present for what they need to be paying attention to driving. I am embarrassed to think that our society has gotten so ego driven that they would take a chance of their children and other families, and adults driving.
What more can I do to change the law in Maine?
What you say is probably true – same as the military machine and the enormous workforce it maintains world-wide. But back to the accountability of authorities to “lead”…
In New Zealand, a police officer has just been shown to have been texting or reading “37 secs” prior to killing a pedestrian at night. How they know it was before and not during the crash is anybody’s guess of course (no accountability!), although it matters little …
With regard to laws is NY State, distracted driving is encouraged by our politicians because it generates much needed revenue from the resultant crashes. Traffic crashes is viewed as a business, a multi-gazillion dollar industry. The State makes tons of money from the transactions that flow from a car crash. Pay a repair shop to fix your car and it’s called a sale; can we say sales tax? Pay a doctor to fix you up and it’s income to him; can we say income tax?
How else would you justify a scandalous law that says you can talk on a phone while driving, just keep it a secret and don’t let the cops know you’re doing it by sticking something in your ear? Then there is the fraudulent anti-texting law that says texting is very dangerous. Don’t do it. But, go ahead and do it; you won’t be ticketed unless you do something else wrong first.
The laws that are being passed today are only designed to fool the public into thinking the State cares about safety. It does not! It doesn’t want people to drive safely. It doesn’t want to kill the “crash” industry. It’s too lucrative. It keeps too many people employed. The State realizes that there are a host of people who go to work in the morning depending on people crashing: doctors, nurses, lawyers, insurance people, ambulance drivers, car dealers, tow/repair shops, florists and yes, funeral directors.