Texting & Driving: The Deadliest Distraction

Awards

Bronze Telly Award

Reviews

Using reenactments and real-life interviews, this video demonstrates the horror that is caused by distracted driving. It begins with the reenactment of a beautiful, promising teen’s fatal mistake of texting while driving to school. Her family and friends speak about their senseless loss. In another scene, teens are invited to participate in a simulation of driving while texting. Using virtual reality goggles in a car equipped to record and project the reality of the drivers’ actions, they learn they learn that they are not able to drive safely. After the simulator experience, the teens change their attitude, no longer thinking that it’s uncool to ask a friend not to text while driving. They agree to speak up if a friend does so, and vow never to do it again themselves. The teacher’s resource book, available as a PDF document, includes Human Relations Media’s usual program summary, National Health Education Standards Performance Indicators, student activities, and a list of additional resources. This is a convincing program because of the realistic reenactment and the moving testimony of family and friends of the teen who died. Young adults who view this program will think twice before picking up their phones while behind the wheel.

—Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, CA  
School Library Journal

In the opening scene, a girl gets in a truck, texts and continues to look at her phone, and is in an accident. Viewers will be drawn in right away by the action and the horror. As the film goes on, they will learn that this is a dramatization of a real-life situation. The parents, sister, friends, and others talk about Alex, the girl who died while texting. Their stories and recollections are touching and emotional. Law enforcement personnel who were on the scene weigh in with their recollections and comments. Interspersed with the scenes are shots of teens talking to the camera about texting and driving, plus footage of the Unite group (Arrive Alive), which offers a simulation experience for people using 3-D glasses and their own phone to illustrate the dangers of texting while driving.

Visuals, sound, and editing are well done and professional. The group of teens is diverse, and provides people that viewers can relate to. The reenactment of Alex’s accident is believable, and should make viewers rethink their actions. But the comments from Alex’s sister, best friend, mother, and father will really hit home.

This film would be an excellent addition to high school library collections. Even college students may be close enough in age to be affected. Public libraries may also want to purchase, for their teen and parent patrons.

—Mary Northrup, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Kansas City, Missouri
Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)

4 out of 4 stars. Editor's Choice. Recalling the (often grisly) high school driver education films of the 1950s, this production looks at a very modern cause of accidents involving distracted drivers—namely, texting and driving. Although some states have outlawed the use of cell phones while driving, the annual teen death toll for distracted driving is a tragic 3,000 (in addition to 330,000 injuries). This guidance program combines interviews of high school students and parents with a sensitively portrayed re-enactment of a fatality in which the victim was driving alone on a country lane near her home when she lost control of her vehicle and it overturned. Nearly dead from her injuries by the time she was discovered, the young woman ultimately perished. The story reminds us that even in the most unlikely of circumstances, in attentiveness behind the wheel can lead to deadly consequences. Particularly enlightening here is the use of a virtual reality simulator in which teenagers, using their own phones, are instructed to text while normal (and unpredictable) driving conditions are presented, and each is scored (“penalized” might be a better term). Some are issued “tickets” or “arrested,” while others simply don’t survive the simulation. DVD extras include a teacher’s resource PDF guide with activities, fact sheets, and learning objectives. A powerful well-produced cautionary program, this is highly recommended. 

— C.Block
Video Librarian