If You've Ever Texted While Driving, You Should See This

Ed Mazza
Updated

By now, the dangers of texting while driving are obvious. But if you need any more convincing, this candid-camera ad from Volkswagen drives the point home.

The advertisement, set in what appears to be a movie theater in Hong Kong, shows an audience watching intently as it's presented a driver's seat view out of the windshield of a moving car.

However, after a few moments, a mass text -- sent on purpose from inside the theater -- goes out to all the moviegoers.

Most of the entire crowd reaches down to whip out their phones, and...

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

You can probably guess what happens next. In 2012, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that 3,328 people were killed and another 421,000 people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers. "[B]ecause text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction," the NHTSA's website says.

Distracted Driving Violations Include:

Using Handheld Cellphones

Texting Or Emailing

Using Electronic Devices

Using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays and programming portable audio players (e.g., MP3 players)
Using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays and programming portable audio players (e.g., MP3 players)

Entering Information On GPS Units

Reading Printed Materials In The Vehicle

Writing, Printing Or Sketching

Personal Grooming

Failing To Signal

Failing to signal lane changes or unsafe lane changes (which may include erratic driving or wandering in and out of the lanes)
Failing to signal lane changes or unsafe lane changes (which may include erratic driving or wandering in and out of the lanes)

Speeding

Speeding, not signaling or making wide turns because of not paying attention
Speeding, not signaling or making wide turns because of not paying attention

Following Too Close

Driving Left Of Centre

Driving left of centre (which involves pulling over to the wrong side of the road or curb, on any roadway)
Driving left of centre (which involves pulling over to the wrong side of the road or curb, on any roadway)

Failing To Obey A Traffic Control Device

Careless Driving

Failing To Yield To A Pedestrian

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.