There is a video that is going viral on one simple, seemingly silly way to help remind drivers to stop texting and driving.
From the Evolution Bureau, it is one man’s story of how he painted his thumb nail bright red as a reminder to put his phone down while driving – and for him, it works.
“I know it sounds silly, but it totally worked,” says the man in the video. “I went from being one of the worst offenders on the road to having no habitual desire to use my phone while driving.”
The short video shows the man behind the wheel, and how his one thumb painted with bright red nail polish sticks out like, well, a sore thumb while driving.
“All I could see was a bright red thumb reminding me to put my phone down,” he narrates. “I simply couldn’t overlook my big red thumb. It was an old school solution to a new world problem.”
Nova Scotia recently toughened its laws on distracted driving, with drivers convicted of using a hand-held electronic device while driving receiving four demerit points on their licence, and fines increasing up to a maximum of $578.95 for third offenders.
Ontario drivers convicted of a similar offence can face fines of up to $1,000 and three demerit points.
The anti-distracted driving campaign can include more than just drivers, says the man in the video.
“If you just want to show your support, paint your thumbnail red. Trust me, everyone will ask you about it,” he says. “Perhaps this silly little tactic might do some serious good for all of us.”
