Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Safety

High-Stakes Testing: A Lesson in Texting While Driving

Here's a cool, funny, and genuinely effective public service announcement out of Belgium. According to Gizmodo, non-profit Responsible Young Drivers essentially pranked a bunch of people taking their drivers license exam. To pass, they were told, they'd have to show they could adequately send text messages while keeping control of the car.å

The results, all caught on camera, strike an impressive balance. You'll laugh at he skids, swerves and shrieks of the panicked test takers even while realizing that the flying cones could, outside the context of a YouTube clip, be someone's child.

The power of the clip comes in part from how easy it is to identify with the drivers, who quickly understand that performing both tasks well is nearly impossible. “Honestly, I feel like an idiot who can’t drive,” says one, while another realizes: “People will die.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Friday’s Headlines

ICE, Metro vs. SB79, Olympics, Santa Monica parking, homelessness, Koreatown, Santa Clarita, Malibu, car-nage, and more

January 16, 2026

Monrovia’s ‘Haiku Park’ is Now Open

Satoru Tsuneishi Park honors the acclaimed poet once incarcerated in an internment camp.

January 15, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines

LAPD, potholes, green bike lanes, Metro policing, L.A. River, car-nage, and more

January 15, 2026

Metro Committee Approves Sepulveda Rail Alignment, Postpones Torrance Rail Approval

Plus: Metro announces a testing snag which means a likely delay for the D Line opening, and supports Foothill A Line extension to Claremont

January 14, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines

ICE, LAX roadway expansion, Sepulveda subway, MLK parade, Pasadena, car-nage, and more

January 14, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines

ICE, Sepulveda and Torrance Metro rail, Rail2Rail path, care-based services, Olympics, Measure ULA, Monrovia, Little Tokyo, car-nage, and more

January 13, 2026
See all posts