Since February first 2018 it has been illegal to drive with a phone in your hand in Sweden. Despite that, there seems to be no change in the number of accidents on Swedish roads since the new law been running. To remind people of the danger of using your phone while driving, Volkswagen and Trafikskadefonden has created a phone case – made by crumple metal from crashed cars.
“We know how easily it happens that you accidentally pick up your phone to receive a call or to send a text. But you are 23 times more likely to be in a car accident if you text and drive, so it’s important to know how serious the matter is. We believe a phone case made by unfortunate cars makes you think twice before you pick up your phone. It will be like a silent reminder to keep focus on the road and not multitask while driving,” says Johan Karlsson, Brand Manager at Volkswagen Stockholm.
The phone cases are handmade with metal from unfortunate cars. To start with there has been 153 unique cases produced. One for each serious accident that has happened in Sweden in February 2018, the first month since the new law was enforced. The cases can be bought online and the money collected will be donated to the work of Swedish organization Trafikskadefonden to help people that have been in traffic accidents.
“We welcome the new law that we have been working long and hard for to be introduced. But the numbers show clearly that there has been no difference in the number of accidents. It needs to be more done to change behavior and this type of emotional activation is a new and creative way to get the driver to rethink,” says Marina Carlsson, Trafikskadefonden – the Swedish Association for Survivors of Accident and Injury.
The cases cost 599 Swedish crowns and will be possible to buy on www.crashedcases.com, or at Volkswagen Stockholm in Hammarby Sjöstad.
