Personally, I blame “The More You Know.” When stern warnings are needed, American PSAs do tend to dance around the issue.

This morning, Austin City Council passed a resolution instructing the city manager to prepare a ordinance banning driving while texting, and introducing an enforceable safe passage distance (which we wouldn’t need if Gov. Rick Perry hadn’t vetoed a statewide safe passage bill. Opponents have spent the morning saying that all that’s needed is pubic education, but odds are that everyone will get squeamish about a realistic representation of the danger.

Now the Welsh, they know how to do a PSA. This warning bought to you courtesy of the Gwent Police Force.

WARNING: The depiction of what happens in a car crash depicted in this video is, well, totally accurate. Therefore gory and unpleasant.

Youtube video

This article appears in August 21 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.