On the 27th May 2012, Responsible Young Drivers Beligum uploaded one of their latest road safety videos, the ‘Impossible texting while driving test’. This wholly unique video has, since entering the world wide web via Youtube has received nearly half a million hits making it a real viral sensation and a captivating message that is being spread across the web with gusto.
In a conversation with our CORE Group Representative for Europe, Mr Axel Druart who works for Responsible Young Drivers Beligum, he informed us that the video held a great message but they did not expect this overwhelming response.
The story beind the video
In order to enhance our road safety campaigns, we manage within the framework of a European road safety project called “AVENUE” (Actions for Vulnerable, Elderly, Novice Drivers and Road Users in Europe) to develop an up-to-date road safety topic based on research and polls and disseminate its results to a bigger audience. To do so, we therefore picked the “Distraction on the road” topic, based on a study organized by the European Commission in Europe, where they stated that ¼ of car crashes were involving some kind of distraction and that 2/3 of the drivers declared using their cell phones while driving.
The video has a unique approach that illustrates the dangers of texting while driving.
Statistics that were completed by a study from Road Safe (UK) stated:
Recent survey findings have revealed that 58% of 17-25 year old drivers agree that smartphone apps are causing young people to be more distracted at the wheel. This very survey of 1,000 young drivers, conducted by One Poll, has uncovered the extent of how smartphones and social media are distracting 17-25 year olds when behind the wheel. It revealed the following relevant points:
- Over 40% admitted to answering their phones while driving without a hands-free set
- 44% said they had sent a text message, and 62% said they had read a message while they were driving
- 1 in 6 male drivers under 25 has crashed due to mobile phone usage at the wheel
- One third of under 25s who use Facebook on their phone admitted to using it whilst driving
- Hands-free kits encourage 53% more young drivers to make longer calls at the wheel (longer than 5 minutes)
During an action managed by the volunteers of Responsible Young Drivers in Belgium, we received a question that made us deeply think of a possible campaign to realize. Indeed, a reveller in an action asked us why the use of mobile phone was not included in the driving licence test…
After a brainstorming with young volunteers and our young staff, we contacted a driving school in order to know if they would be interested in making a “candid camera” to show and convince youngsters that driving and texting can be extremely dangerous, by adding this exercise to the driving lessons (pretending it’s a new Belgian law).
The video includes a candid camera style approach where the instructor tells the learner driver to take the ‘mobile phone test’.
Surprisingly, it worked extremely well. And the results is what you see on the video. There’s of course no cheating; these youngsters were real driving students and truly believed in this new Texting & driving law in driving schools. We do hope that through this video, youngsters will realize by themselves that the use of cell-phones is indeed very dangerous while driving and then understand why banning it from driving should be extremely benefiting for a safer road…
View the video now in the right column and tell us what you think!