Graphic Distracted Driving Videos Hope To Scare, Educate Drivers [Videos]

Safety agencies are getting aggressive in their campaign to end distracted driving.

Two new videos illustrate that very effectively, but many say that they're too graphic. Tell us what you think.

In 2009, just a few hours before Lapeer West's Homecoming, my youngest son lost the girl he loved because of a driver who was texting. Her loss is still felt today.

When will people get it?

According to distraction.gov, almost 421,000 people in the United States were injured in automobile accidents that involved distracted drivers in 2012. That is a 9% increase from 2011.

Driving distractions aren't just about texting. They include looking at a GPS, fooling with the radio, eating, grooming and interacting with other passengers in the vehicle. Texting, however, requires manual, visual and cognitive attention from the driver. Currently in the U.S., almost 30% of teens respond to a text at least once every time they drive, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Another study found that the average time a driver has their eyes off the road while texting is five seconds. That may not seem like a long time, but when you're traveling at 55-60 mph, those five seconds can lead to something catastrophic.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Traffic Safety Administration has recently released a disturbing 30-second video that is meant to scare the pants off anyone who still texts while they drive. See it below.

Another compelling video, this one from the New Zealand Transport Agency, reminds us that "Other people make mistakes. Slow down." One driver is speeding down a seldom traveled stretch of road. Another driver, with his son, pulls out of an intersection too quickly. Time stops for just a few seconds as both drivers admit to the other that they were in the wrong. Both also realize that nothing can be done to prevent the deadly collision that is about to happen. It's incredibly powerful. Watch it below.

Do videos need to be this graphic to warn and educate drivers? Tell us in the comments section below.