New laws passed in the new year in British Columbia and Saskatchewan are placing some consequences behind a couple of activities that police departments, insurance companies and some devastated families have known for some time.  Using your cell phone and texting can distract drivers and cause horrible accidents.

In order to help convey the importance of these issues, we have made two safety awareness videos available on the topic and developed a quiz to test workers' knowledge of the materials.

The first video, and the version we recommend you make available to your employees is "The Reggie Shaw Story".  It was developed by the Utah State Government, and it reenacts the events of a real accident in which the texting by a college student while driving cost the lives of two scientists who were on their way to work.  The video interviews all the surviving parties involved (including Reggie in prison), police and paramedics who attended the scene, the prosecutor and judge who were involved in the case, as well as the family members of the victims.  The video is highly informative, including a scientific comparison with driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The other video, developed by the Gwent Police in the UK, is of a fictional accident (and aftermath) caused by a young woman who texted while driving.  This video is extremely graphic, showing the accident in slow motion from various people's perspectives, including a young infant.  It even shows a victim's neck snapping.  Although less informative than the Utah State video, it will certainly stay in your memory for a long time!

Please take a few minutes to review each video and decide which version best conveys the anti-texting and cell phone message to your employees that drive on a regular basis.  Both versions are found under Texting, Cell Phones and Other Distractions under the Safe Driving Practices Course.  If you have already assigned the Safe Driving Practices course to the various positions in your company, you only need to check off the new lesson to make it available to your workers.