Unsuspecting moviegoers in Hong Kong received an in-your-face public service announcement from Volkswagen that seemed to be pretty effective.
As people in the theater waited for the movie to begin, what looked like a commercial started playing.
It’s a first-person point-of-view of a person driving. The view continued for a bit and was kind of boring, and then all of a sudden, someone behind the scenes sent out a “location-based” text message to everyone in the audience.
As expected, the moviegoers reached into their pockets, purses, etc. to get their phones and check the text.
As the majority of the audience looked down at their phones, the car on the screen suddenly crashed into trees.
It looked like a terrible accident, and the audience gasped. Check out the video to watch the moviegoers experience the PSA. Sometimes it takes these in-your-face tactics to drive a point home. VW is not the only one making these videos.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Honda have also created videos showing how just one moment can change or end a life.
Editor’s Note: Tina Grady Barbaccia is the executive editor for sister magazine Better Roads.
