There is a specific reason why so much money is spent on awareness campaigns around texting and driving. This dashcam footage that captured the moments leading up to a truck crash is the perfect example of the latter.
This footage is the perfect awareness about texting and driving
It is not clear where the incident occurred or if everyone involved survived unscathed. However, based on metadata found on the dashcam footage, this accident happened on the afternoon of Saturday 12 September 2020.
In the video, the truck driver can be seen whizzing on a stretch of road that was not busy. Perhaps, this is what prompted him to pay more attention to what was going on in his phone.
The truck driver went for a few hundred metres with his head turned away from his windscreen. Whatever was going on in his phone, it amused him as you could see him chuckle a few times.
This quickly turned into a nightmare when the truck driver looked up to see another truck ahead of him. He could not stop fast enough since innertia would have probably forced the truck into a tumble.
Watch: Dashcam shows truck driver crash
All he could do, in those split seconds, was swerve to the turn-off on the left. However, it was a little too late and the video ends right after the collision.
You can watch the video below:
Why texting and driving is a sef-inflicted death sentence
There is no justification to the argument for why motorists text while they are driving. Arrive Alive accurately describes this illegal activity as “an epidemic sweeping our roads.”
“Some tests done in simulators suggest that talking on a phone, no matter how it’s done, sharply elevates the risk of an accident. Researchers studying brain imaging documented that listening alone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.”
Arrive Alive, Texting and Distracted Driving
The only advisable tip for motorists to increase their chances of avoiding fatal car crashes is to stay away from the phone. If you have to, inform your contacts that you are temporarily unavailable to take calls or respond to messages, put your phone on silent and only attend to it, for whatever reason, when you’ve reached your destination.
If you’re pressed to tend to your phone while you’re driving, rather steer to the side of the road and park the car where it is safe to do so.
“Perhaps the important truth confronting us all is that texting while driving is not only a risk to the perpetrator but to all innocent road users! Driving while typing out text messages on a mobile phone is dumb, potentially deadly and should be against the law – everywhere!”
Arrive Alive, Texting and Distracted Driving