This New Zealand commercial has a very awkward suggestion for fighting distracted driving
Just in time for Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, a public service commercial from down under has us paying attention.
The New Zealand Transportation Agency has unveiled its latest weapon in the fight against texting and driving: awkwardness.
The video features a series of drivers who receive text message alerts on their phones. As they reach for their phone to read their text, their passengers reach out to give the motorists’ hands a friendly squeeze.
The unexpected show of affection clearly makes the drivers uncomfortable. They forget about checking their phones and focus on the road instead.
Plus it’s got a pretty good soundtrack. Check it out:
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Here in the U.S., a recent study by AAA found 87 percent of drivers had engaged in at least one type of distracted driving behavior in the past 30 days. The AAA report found 70 percent of respondents had taken a cell phone call while driving in the past 30 days and another 42 percent admitted to reading a text message.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found distracted driving was responsible for 3,129 vehicle fatalities in 2014.
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