[MP-Ryan]

I know we have a lot of young people around here, I know the pressures out there, and I just wanted to remind everyone of something they already know:

Do not drink and drive.  (Disturbing image warning.)

[Dilmah G]

I remember seeing at least a few of those ads growing up over here in Aus. Message is echoed, posted as my status on FB, especially since as a 2011 high school graduate, this is exactly the time when all of my classmates are getting their probational licenses and such.

[qazwsx]

Can this be stickied? Please. A friend of mine was involved in a crash with a drunk driver yesterday (he's fine) but I'm still woried about what could have happened.

[StarSlayer]

That was pretty well put together, I must admit though the age many of the cars coupled with the crash cinematography was very Mad Max(1979).  I was half expecting someone to cut in with "I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine. I am the rocker, I am the roller, I am the out-of-controller!"

[LordMelvin]

aaaaaaaand now I've got REM stuck in my brain. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, 'cause, y'know, everybody gets that song stuck in their head sometimes.

A drunk driver almost killed my sister two months ago. Drunk driving is bad. Also, don't kick puppies.

[jg18]

Also relevant is the true story of Jacqueline Saburido.

Warning: The pages mentioned below include graphic images.

One night in 1999, 20-year-old Jacqueline Saburido and her friends were coming home from their friend's birthday party. That same night, 18-year-old Reggie Stephey was driving home with a few friends from a drinking party. Reggie thought he was sober enough to drive home, but his SUV hit Jacqui and her friends' car, which then skidded off the road. Two of the passengers in Reggie’s car died from the collision, along with two of Jacqui’s friends. Unlikely to survive, Jacqui was pinned down on the front passenger seat, and minutes later, the car caught on fire. Over 60% of Jacqui’s body suffered burns in the fire.

[Slightly adapted from here.]

More from the Texas Department of Transportation here.

[jr2]

Reckless Driving

Texting and driving UK

More texting and driving

Distracted texter vs. Semi

[Mongoose]

Christ...I can't believe they could air those on TV.  Brutally effective for sure.  Jeez.

[Ravenholme]

Christ...I can't believe they could air those on TV.  Brutally effective for sure.  Jeez.

UK TV at least can have some really brutal ads about things like drunk driving. I mean, shockingly brutal for prime time TV.

Not an issue for me, I neither drink nor drive. Public transportation master race! Getting you roughly where you wanted to go several hours late

[NGTM-1R]

While you're at it, drinking and posting is also dangerous.

[Black Wolf]

More importantly, ghost chips, bro.

[Grizzly]

My strategy is to continue the strategy I have used for the past two years.
Don't drink at all.

[Dilmah G]

More importantly, ghost chips, bro.

Wow.

I honestly understood about 5 words the guy said there. Silly kiwis.

[karajorma]

While I the brutality is effective, I quite liked the campaign they had on UK TV a few years ago with Dennis Leary. What will stop drunk driving dead in it's tracks is if people think it isn't socially acceptable in a way that makes it not cool. Having a song repeatedly call you an arsehole for driving drunk is probably more effective than all the brutal adverts you can watch.

[BlueFlames]

My strategy is to continue the strategy I have used for the past two years.
Don't drink at all.

Good advice, but remember as well, that just because you're sober, doesn't mean the other guy is.  I was sober when a nutter in a Dodge Charger did this to my car, back in 2009:


In case you're curious about the driver's seat position, I had a back-seat passenger, who needed to be let out, after the crash.

Stay alert out there.

[Mefustae]

My strategy is to continue the strategy I have used for the past two years.
Don't drink at all.

Good advice, but remember as well, that just because you're sober, doesn't mean the other guy is.  I was sober when a nutter in a Dodge Charger did this to my car, back in 2009:

Stay alert out there.

Better strategy:

Part 1: Dig hole in back yard, climb in, and cover with wooden boards.

Part 2: Win forever.

[karajorma]

Didn't work for Saddam.

[jr2]

BlueFlames, just curious, what year / make / model was that?  Looks like it did a good job considering a larger car plowed into it... although, how fast were the vehicles going?

[BlueFlames]

BlueFlames, just curious, what year / make / model was that?  Looks like it did a good job considering a larger car plowed into it... although, how fast were the vehicles going?

That was a 2009 Ford Focus.  I was traveling just under 40mph.  It's hard to say how fast the Charger was going, when he ran across my front end, but the speed limit in his direction of travel was 45mph.  (You tell me if the muscle car running a red light at midnight was speeding or not.)  In any case, the size differential was more than made-up for by the front crumple-zone.  Aside from the deployed airbags, there was no damage to the inside of the passenger cabin at all.

[Mongoose]

Wow, score one for recent Ford engineering.