One organization in Belgium is trying to eliminate texting and driving, and they’re doing so in a very unique way.
Responsible Young Drivers recently went undercover with a group of teenagers and other young people attempting to obtain their driver’s licenses. With one of the group’s actors posing as a driving instructor, the students were told that new laws had come down from the Belgium Ministry mandating that drivers had to learn how to text and drive at the same time.
Some students were baffled. Others seemed almost excited. All agreed to try.
While cruising around an empty lot with cones and other obstacles placed strategically in their way, the students quickly realized that they couldn’t give equal attention to their driving and their texting.
“It’s impossible,” said one.
“This isn’t working,” said another, who also pointed out that “many people will be killed” under the new law.
One young student was almost in tears after swerving and braking very erratically in order to avoid the cones while simultaneously texting what the instructor demanded.
“Imagine that’s a child,” said the instructor, while he and student both looked at a toppled-over cone. It wasn’t the first obstacle to fall before the upset, panicked and sometimes shrieking drivers. At one point, a student’s driving became so hazardous that the instructor’s head actually bounced off the dashboard.
“I can’t do it,” said a student who finally gave up. “It’s too dangerous.”
Responsible Young Drivers ended the video with a somber message: “We agree.”