A video graphically depicting the dangers of texting while driving has created quite a buzz on the Internet, with more than 4.5 million views since mid-August.
 
Produced by the Gwent Police Department in southeast Wales, the four-minute video clip is an excerpt of a 30-minute educational film intended to discourage teenagers from texting behind the wheel. The film was made on a budget of about $20,000 after police asked students what was the most dangerous activity for their age group. Texting was it.
 
In the clip, three teenagers are involved in a head-on collision caused by their texting driver. The video doesn’t spare viewers from the carnage that follows, with bloody close up shots, piercing screams, and bodies flying around the car. Viewer discretion is advised.  

While we have reported on the dangers of texting numerous times in the past, this video highlights the risks in a dramatic fashion that should entice the most addicted thumb jockeys into putting away their cell phones and focusing on driving.

—Jim Travers