We all know the dangers of texting and driving. And yet, we find ourselves behind the wheel not just texting friends and family, but editing Instagram captions, browsing Facebook, and capturing Snapchats because, for some reason, we think it can’t wait. A handful of organizations have attempted to address one of the developed world’s most dangerous habits with things like fake funeral home ads and shocking real-life scenarios. But distracted driving remains as dangerous as ever with 3,179 people killed in 2014 and 431,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the U.S. government.
A recent Facebook post by an online TV program called “Summer Break” is hoping that one raw and powerful video will show people the dangers and pain caused by texting and driving. The video, in which we see the survivor of a fatal texting and driving accident confront admitted young texter-drivers, was posted two days ago and has already been viewed 2.5 million times and shared another 63,000.
The video opens with the show’s cast members explaining their behavior behind the wheel. As they laugh and bashfully admit to Snapchatting out of boredom, we get the sense that they’re in for a shock. Before long, the cast members are introduced to a young woman name Jacy who explains that she was partially paralyzed on the way home from her college graduation after a collision caused by driver who was texting behind the wheel. She goes on to explain that the crash also killed both her parents. Each cast member is visibly shaken up and the impact of Jacy’s experience resonates beyond the cast’s response and through the computer screen. It is an immediate call to action to end distracted driving.
The video is a part of the #ItCanWait campaign, sponsored by AT&T which urges drivers to pledge that they won’t text while driving because “no text is worth a life.” If you want to join the movement you can do so, here.
