Driver's Ed Videos: How Necessary are They?

[Ally-Ann]

I was in driver's ed today (It's a semester class at my school), and my teacher told us that we would be watching a video about how risky driving can and does cause car accidents easily. He had shown us videos before about this issue, but the videos had only showed the cars from the accidents, or simply actors/actresses being tossed around not-so-realistically in an accident. Today, however, the video that he showed us contained different videos of real car accidents-- very, very severe ones at that-- and real people that were severely injured beyond words, or dead. And the images of the dying/dead people were insanely gorey (Because, of course, it was real), and the video even contained the screaming of the injured. The entire time that the videos played, I was in shock and didn't really feel anything, but after class, I spent most of my lunch period crying in the bathroom from seeing something so graphic. In all honesty, it shook me up that I couldn't keep my composure even when I got to my last class (Which was after driver's ed), so my mom picked me up.

Before anyone tells me to grow up or act my age, this really was a horrifying video. I'm a very empathetic person, but I think thar anyone would get AT LEAST a little teary-eyed if they saw child bloody and screaming at the top of their lungs from the injuries they sustained in a head-on collision. I understand that many kids don't learn the dangers of reckless driving unless they see videos of accidents, but honestly, I think this video was overkill.

How many of you have seen videos like these, and how necessary do you think the real ones are?

[K. Ayato]

It's absolutely necessary in my opinion, especially for drivers under the age of 18. I saw one of a series called Red Asphalt, and it was quite sobering.

Reason I state that is 'cause I know how once teens get that license, they feel they're invincible. These videos are there to show that while driving is a privilege, the car is still a weapon on wheels and that the last thing anyone wants these teens to become is a statistic.

[Ally-Ann]

Red Asphalt III is actually the one that I saw. How ironic.

[Atria35]

It's absolutely necessary in my opinion, especially for drivers under the age of 18.

Reason I state that is 'cause I know how once teens get that license, they feel they're invincible. These videos are there to show that while driving is a privilege, the car is still a weapon on wheels and that the last thing anyone wants these teens to become is a statistic.

This. Teens *NEED* to see the real consequences of irresponsible driving. It's all too easy to blow off seeing the cars and seeing actors with completely unrealistic acting. When DEATH is a consequence of stupidity - avoidable stupidity - then it's in no way, shape, or form overkill. And teenagers are particularly hardheaded about anything less. One merely needs to see the accident statistics to know that.

[Crossfire]

I agree with Kay, this seems to be one of the few ways to get kids to stop and think. My old school had a program where they would take you to a hospital, during a time where they expected someone to be wheeled in from an accident. (If that was unavailable, they would act it out- very well done, I might add)

[Xeno]

I'm also of the opinion that teens should be made to see these videos. They have little to no impact on me personally, and really never have, at least no in the manner Ally is talking about, but they do show kids the very real dangers or driving like an idiot. Coincidentally, people think I drive like a maniac all the time and that in reckless, when infact it's because I know exactly what can happen that I drive a certain way and keep constant control of my car and continuously monitor what is happening around me.

[goldenspines]

The questions you do need to ask yourself personally is: "Did this video make you think about the consequences of driving recklessly and not being a defensive driver?" and "Will I be more cautious as I drive from now on?" If so, that's the point of the video, however realistic and grotesque, to show something that you may have to deal with if you're not careful driving. They'd rather you deal with it now and learn how to avoid those consequences instead of having to put your life on the line to deal with it later.

I'm not particularly fond of overly graphic videos either (man, one time I had to watch this video about brain surgery and different real life mental disorder treatment surgeries...>_>; ), so I'm definitely not saying you or anyone else is "too weak" because you were strongly affected by this video (I almost passed out/threw up during above mentioned video). While I doubt when they (your teacher) showed you the video they wanted you to have to skip your next class, they did want you to see the consequences of reckless driving.

Obviously though, if the video keeps bothering you to this extreme point (e.g. You keep getting upset over it even after a few days instead of gaining knowledge to show caution as you drive as its original purpose is) then I suggest talking about it with your Driver's Ed instructor and asking his/her own reasons for showing the video.

[Atria35]

The entire time that the videos played, I was in shock and didn't really feel anything, but after class, I spent most of my lunch period crying in the bathroom from seeing something so graphic. In all honesty, it shook me up that I couldn't keep my composure even when I got to my last class (Which was after driver's ed), so my mom picked me up.

You know, I'm also wondering: Have you ever had to deal with death or near-death in your life? Up close and personal, I mean. If you haven't ever had to deal with the trauma that comes with losing someone while you're there and close by, or haven't seen the results of terrible accidents yourself, you might have been more affected simply from the shock of seeing it for the first time.

[SilverToast]

I have never seen this videos, and I honestly didn't know about them until it was mentioned on this thread. I never took Driver's Ed and I don't have a driver's license.( I'm definitely old enough to get one in any state in the U.S though.)

They do seem like a good way for teenagers to know and remember the full dangers of reckless driving. I get very annoyed when I see people not do a turn signal when they change lanes on traffic and drive while texting. If these videos can stop that kind of careless behavior then I support them.

[Yuki-Anne]

Yeah, Red Asphalt is... pretty unforgettable.

[Yamamaya]

It can do different things for different people. For many, it might make a real impact that will make them think twice before doing something stupid.

For others, it can disgust them to such a degree that they reject the message entirely.

I do think the video is necessary for teenagers though. Because teens often have difficulty seeing the connection between their actions and consequences, such a real display might shake them to their core and get the message through.

[Dante]

Studies show that most of us end up following the driving habits of our parents - independent of what videos we watch. This is likely because we view our parents as role models for what adult behaviors we should portray. Thus - I think it makes less sense to traumatize young people with extreme amounts of terrible imagery and instead, you should present these videos to prospective parents, to remind them to drive carefully so that their children don't end up like those in the videos. Their good driving habits will then be passed onto their children, who watch how they drive.

Also - as libertarian as I am, I don't believe that teenagers should be allowed to drive. You shouldn't drive until age 18 at a minimum. Most teenagers just simply aren't ready for that kind of responsibility.

On a side note - I might actually get kicked out of a class like that. I tried to empathize with what it would feel like - assuming I was a teenager with emotions and not the emotionless husk that I was for my high school years - and oddly, my first impulse was to laugh. Laugh, not because I thought the images were funny, but instead, as a coping mechanism for the shock.

Of course, at the time, no one else, not even I would recognize what I was doing (unless I showed other outward signals like rapid blinking or sharp twitching motions associated with trying to empathize with the enormous amounts of psychological pain) and so ultimately, they would likely find it rather twisted that I started laughing at people screaming in agony. I definitely would have gotten kicked out and potentially sent to the school psychiatrist for that one.

The mind is a very strange thing indeed.

[Yamamaya]

Also - as libertarian as I am, I don't believe that teenagers should be allowed to drive. You shouldn't drive until age 18 at a minimum. Most teenagers just simply aren't ready for that kind of responsibility.

This, very much. Quite frankly, giving a teenager such a huge life threatening responsibility is not a good idea. I know many 16 year olds(not saying Ally is like this) who have the maturity level of a ten year old child. Allowing them behind the wheel would be a nightmare.

Of course there are 18 year olds too who aren't mature enough to be behind the wheel. Heck, there are some manchild adults who aren't mature enough for it. But generally, I would be more comfortable with raising the age to 18.

And before anyone asks, I got my license when I was 18.

[Xeno]

Well thankfully neither of you got to make the laws that dictated when I was allowed to get my license. I received by permit at 15 and my license when I was 16. I've been driving for 10 years instead of 7 and have that much more experience under my belt. There are people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and onwards who probably shouldn't be driving because they're incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them. Proper driver education leads to better drivers, not just making kids wait two more years before they can get a license because in many cases that just causes them to put off getting their permits and they begin learning to drive later.

[Ally-Ann]

The problem I have with what my class showed was that:

1. It was real footage of people dying or dead from a fatal car accident; it wasn't just a few bad gashes here and there, there was even a man who had a-- literally-- smashed skull with the brain all over the place. It was mortifying (And I don't use that word lightly), and that wasn't the only scene that mentally traumatized me.

2. My parents weren't notified. I'm a minor, and basically, they're showing an R-rated film without even telling my parents. Most teens wouldn't care about this aspect, but I do, considering my parents would have let me watch the film, but would have mentally prepared me that morning for what I was going to see and hear in that class.

3. Why is it legal? If my school isn't allowed to show kids pg-13 and R-rated movies, then where does the mentality come from that it's worse than watching real video of real people dying and screaming in agony, laying in a pool of their own-- and often someone else's as well-- blood, and having scenes like this repeat? The majority of kids in my class are 15, with a few 16-year-olds here and there, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only extremely sensitive one in that class. 15-16-year-olds don't need to be shown something so gorey, at least not without the parents' notification and plenty of warnings from the teacher.

4. This will sound stupid and immature, but this is honestly how I feel: If it's so important to show us real footage of gruesome, gorey violence that is indeed real so that we don't get anything wrong when we drive, then how long will it be until they show teens in health class real video of two people having sex so that the teens "don't get anything wrong" or to show them what could happen? Where do we draw the line?

5. My dad's going to have to debrief me now (He's an army chaplain, he does this at least every other day with soldiers). I was that traumatized and I couldn't go on with the rest of my day (I couldn't focus, I was jittery, and I was crying. I'm not making this up). I'm naturally paranoid, so this makes me fearful-- not cautious and respectful-- of driving. Showing real videos like this to teens doesn't always result in a healthy state of mind. Some teens blow violence like this off easily, but you know what? Many teens are sensitive, and will become equally traumatized if they see real people suffering in a video, or if they see real people suffering right in front of them. Not every teen needs to see videos like these. Because not every teen is a cocky, couldn't-care-less-about-driving-safely sort of person.

A lot of you act as if every blasted teenager is a reckless hooligan who can't get a firm grasp of reality or safety, and that's offending and plain wrong. Yes, I realize that many teens are like that, but many teens also aren't. Don't generalize all of us.

@Atria: I've never had to deal with death personally, and the video did shock me; however, as I've stated, I'm a very empathetic and sensitive person, and I hate to see and hear people suffer, and the sight of real gore makes it even worse.

@Goldenspines: The message of driving safely? Yeah, right. Red Asphalt (That's the video I saw) portrayed nothing but horror for me. I'm still upset about it (More like traumatized), and I'm actually going to report this to the principal and state the reasons I have listed above.

And teens not driving until they're 18? I don't have a problem with that, but that's because I actually don't really want to drive anymore after that video.

[Atria35]

You asked about whether we thought it was necessary or not, and all of us have overwhelmingly stated that it was. Most of us who responded aren't teenagers and have been on the roads for a while, so we have a perspective on how teens think and how dangerous driving really is.

It was rather a pointless discussion if you simply feel it was inappropriate and wanted us all to agree with you.

The problem I have with what my class showed was that:

1. It was real footage of people dying or dead from a fatal car accident]
Yep, and it would be even more traumatizing if it were a friend of yours or something you personally saw on an accident site. That's what happens when people drive irresponsibly. Better to know the truth now rather than later.

2. My parents weren't notified. I'm a minor, and basically, they're showing an R-rated film without even telling my parents. Most teens wouldn't care about this aspect, but I do, considering my parents would have let me watch the film, but would have mentally prepared me that morning for what I was going to see and hear in that class.

Usually classes give out some announcement of the movie and what it's about, even if it's at the beginning of the class when it's shown. The moment you hear "accident victims" you should always assume the worst. Could you have raised your hand at some point and notified the teacher that you weren't ready to watch this video? Let her know that you weren't used to seeing graphic injuries/deaths and wanted to talk to your parents about it?

3. Why is it legal? If my school isn't allowed to show kids pg-13 and R-rated movies, then where does the mentality come from that it's worse than watching real video of real people dying and screaming in agony, laying in a pool of their own-- and often someone else's as well-- blood, and having scenes like this repeat? The majority of kids in my class are 15, with a few 16-year-olds here and there, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only extremely sensitive one in that class. 15-16-year-olds don't need to be shown something so gorey, at least not without the parents' notification and plenty of warnings from the teacher.

Because car accident deaths are real and uncensored. Heaven help them if any of your classmates are in a real accident, but it's far better to know the real consequences from bad driving than to pretend they're all going to be responsible little drivers and always obey the law (because they won't, and should know what their stupidity and arrogance can cause).

There's also a little perspective missing on this: Sure, these people died. But death also ended their agony completely. They weren't in that pain for very long.

4. This will sound stupid and immature, but this is honestly how I feel: If it's so important to show us real footage of gruesome, gorey violence that is indeed real so that we don't get anything wrong when we drive, then how long will it be until they show teens in health class real video of two people having sex so that the teens "don't get anything wrong" or to show them what could happen? Where do we draw the line?

No offense to this, but sex rarely causes death (unless we're talking AIDS, and then it's a whole other ballgame since you can't see viruses). Sex rarely causes horrific, painful injuries. Sex rarely leaves families in grief over people that will never come back from one stupid mistake.

There is no logical connection between showing the dangers of stupid driving to sex.

5. My dad's going to have to debrief me now (He's an army chaplain, he does this at least every other day with soldiers). I was that traumatized and I couldn't go on with the rest of my day (I couldn't focus, I was jittery, and I was crying. I'm not making this up). I'm naturally paranoid, so this makes me fearful-- not cautious and respectful-- of driving. Showing real videos like this to teens doesn't always result in a healthy state of mind. Some teens blow violence like this off easily, but you know what? Many teens are sensitive, and will become equally traumatized if they see real people suffering in a video, or if they see real people suffering right in front of them. Not every teen needs to see videos like these. Because not every teen is a cocky, couldn't-care-less-about-driving-safely sort of person.

A lot of you act as if every blasted teenager is a reckless hooligan who can't get a firm grasp of reality or safety, and that's offending and plain wrong. Yes, I realize that many teens are like that, but many teens also aren't. Don't generalize all of us.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell at a glance who the responsible, knowledgeable teens are at a glance. Those who seem to be might be hooligans behind the wheel. There are too many stories about the straight-A, well-bred students who went for a joyride the moment they got their licenses and died. Since you can't tell who's a risk factor, you have to treat everyone the same - a potential idiot.

@Atria: I've never had to deal with death personally, and the video did shock me; however, as I've stated, I'm a very empathetic and sensitive person, and I hate to see and hear people suffer, and the sight of real gore makes it even worse.

So am I, and I definitely hate to see those things - but when I was 6, I also saw the result of my grandma driving with undiagnosed brain cancer. That made me far more aware of how dangerous driving could be, and when I saw that video, I already was familiar with the injuries and horror it could cause. I felt for those people, but I've never thought that it should be any other way when it comes down to death.

[Xeno]

I watched the video. Didn't bother me really. Maybe that's because I'm cold-hearted and mean jaded old Xeno who has no emotions, or maybe it's because I've seen far more gruesome results than that. I saw a signal 30 (fatality accident) occur in front of me when I was 18.

The video being shown without a permission slip can be done because its an educational video and not an entertainment video. How many times have you had to sign a paper to watch an educational documentary? And the video more than likely doesn't have a rating on it seeing as it exists for educational purposes.

I have to agree with Atria, as I often do on pretty much everything, that the leap from fatality accident aftermath videos to porn for sex ed is ludacrous and will never happen. People don't die while they're in the act or having sex unless some external factor is involved like drugs or a gun or somehow they have an unrelated physical ailment and maybe they have a heart attack or something. This really is pointless.

And as far as being "traumatized," I doubt you're actually traumatized, more like probably just shocked because you never thought about these things in this way before. Again as Atria said, since we don't know which teen drivers will be the responsible ones and which ones won't, there is no test that accurately determines these things, you treat them all the same. You're getting upset that we're not looking at this from a teen's perspective, well guess what sweetheart, we all used to be teenagers, and most teenagers are wrong with their perspectives about things.

If you don't feel like driving until you're 18 then fine, whatever. You're one less overly cautious person on the roads I have to worry about for a few years. And yes, excessively cautious drivers cause accidents too.

[Ally-Ann]

You asked about whether we thought it was necessary or not, and all of us have overwhelmingly stated that it was. Most of us who responded aren't teenagers and have been on the roads for a while, so we have a perspective on how teens think and how dangerous driving really is.

It was rather a pointless discussion if you simply feel it was inappropriate and wanted us all to agree with you.

I never said I wanted you all to agree with me about the video; I explained my reasons for my thoughts and feelings and I was detailed about it. Explaining the reasons why I feel or think the way I do is different than jamming "I'm right and you're dead wrong and that's the way it is" down your throats. Argue my points, tell me I'm wrong or immature for feeling they way I do, but don't tell me that I wanted you all to agree with me, especially since I never implied it. I'm just naturally detailed at explaining, and I don't usually insist that my beliefs/thoughts/feelings are the only way to believe/think/feel/behave.

Sorry for irritating you by explaining what I think.

[Xeno]

The reason Atria posted that is because it appeared your post was an attempted refutation against everyone who thought the videos are necessary. It didn't come across as you just being detailed, it came across as you laying out an argument as to why we're all wrong.

[Ally-Ann]

^I didn't mean it like that at all, so I'm sorry for that (Honestly). I always welcome people to argue my opinion, in fact (Though I understand that CAA rules tell us to do that through PM). Sounding unclear and needling when I don't mean to, however, is a fault of mine, and again, I do apologize. I've just always had a habit of explaining my thoughts with detail and finality ever since I was little. I need to work on it, I know.

[Dante]

I do have one question. I was a terrible child at school - they hated me. But still, even if you love your school record, if I saw something that bothered me that much - I might also just walk out of the room. Furthermore, if the teacher said anything, I would simply ignore them and wait outside.

I only did it once after I got in a fight and literally ripped the shirt off another kid's back. They had teased me for years and what instigated the fight was that they were surrounding me in a circle and firing off one derogatory mocking insult after another (most of which, I can't repeat on here - some actually would have gotten them in trouble today, but homosexual slurs were considered 'acceptable' back then >_>).

We had a substitute teacher that day, who made a stupid mistake. I was typically punished for fighting back physically against being constantly teased and tormented, but none of them were dumb enough to make the statements she made.

The sub demanded to know 'how I could do something so horrible to my friends'. The words 'my friends' set me off like a stick of dynamite and I left the room without saying a word and hid on campus, resulting in a miniature panic (I had my name called out on the intercom - and only came out for the vice principle... whom I liked despite that fact that he kept me in detention so much. He was easier to trust). Once I explained what she had said - nothing became of it.

You might get sent to detention yourself, but after you thoroughly voiced your complaints (and you seem to feel very strongly about it), especially if you rejected seeing such a movie on religious grounds, it's unlikely that they would force you to watch the film (it might simply cause a repeat performance, as people are often willing to fight to the bitter end for religious views). Your parents might also support you on the issue, in which case it would be futile for the principle to try and force you to watch the movie, because he would be directly creating conflict with your parents... that typically tends to end badly for the principle - it's easier to just let you pass it by.

At the end of the day, if something truly offends you that much, consider if you can just walk away from it. It's a good tactic for a lot of negative experiences in life.

_______________________

As a word of warning though: don't over-visualize the old testament if you feel this way about violence. The Bible IS an R-rated book, as odd as it seems from all the kids shows orientated around the old testament... they just kinda censor those parts.

[Atria35]

^I didn't mean it like that at all, so I'm sorry for that (Honestly). I always welcome people to argue my opinion, in fact (Though I understand that CAA rules tell us to do that through PM). Sounding unclear and needling when I don't mean to, however, is a fault of mine, and again, I do apologize. I've just always had a habit of explaining my thoughts with detail and finality ever since I was little. I need to work on it, I know.

It's okay. Apology accepted. I understand about how difficult it is to properly write out thoughts.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

At least you aren't subjugated to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m1-FIAhcSA

Remember. No-zones! Stay out of the no-zones!

[Nate]

Here's an appealing fellow.

In fact they're a-peeling him off the sidewalk!

[Yuki-Anne]

At least you aren't subjugated to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m1-FIAhcSA

Remember. No-zones! Stay out of the no-zones!

I don't even have to watch that to get that stupid song that I watched only once ten years ago stuck in my head again.

They should add "educational raps" to their list of no-zones.

[Davidizer13]

My "watch out for semis" video was better than your "watch out for semis" video because we had Bill Nye hosting ours.

But there was this one about off-ramps or something, it was ancient computer animation featuring a crash test dummy and his very Navi-like fairy (or whatever it was) pal who made groan-worthy snarky comments about the whole thing. Ahh, '90s educational videos.

[DarkNozomi]

Long story short, you have to teach a class at its lowest denominator. You might be a very responsible and intelligent person who listens when they're told of the risks of dangerous driving (I'm sure you are). However, I'm also sure you can agree not all of your peers are. There are sadly teen drivers out there who cannot grasp these concepts on an abstract level. They literally need to see in graphic detail that no, the teacher is not joking and yes, this is exactly what could happen to them or someone they care about. I wish it wasn't necessary to do this but it is a necessary price for living in a society.

[Yamamaya]

At least you aren't subjugated to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m1-FIAhcSA

Remember. No-zones! Stay out of the no-zones!

That was painful.

Also, the Asian woman recommending bad driving habits. Such wonderful stereotyping.

[ashfire]

When I was in high school I seen some of the driver ed movies before videos. One movie was made locally by the county and used local scenes.
When I became a driver in the fire dept, we got a class which showed accidents involving county fire service incidents.
Many of the firefighters in our county have died as a result of traffic accidents. The first was in 1930 as the result of a car pulling in front fire engine cauing it to over turn and kill the driver.
Some accidents were hit and runs, where firefighters rode on the sides and rear on the fire units and units running into each other.
There were slides of what cause the accident and what the result was.
When I joined with in a month three members of another dept were killed when the ambulance they were taking a patient to the hospital in crashed head on into the fire engine from their station going to the accident they just left in a rain storm. Crew on the engine were injuried and the patient in the ambulance lived.

[Atria35]

^ That's a sad story, but what does it have to do with the question?