We all know the dangers of texting and other miscellaneous smartphone use while driving, yet almost everyone still does it– ironically, you might even be doing it right now. The data is inarguable at this point, you're 23 times more likely to be in an accident when looking down at your phone while behind the wheel of a moving motor vehicle. Volkswagen's Swedish arm decided it would help try and build awareness with a tangibly tragic, yet constant reminder of how quickly a seemingly innocuous distraction can turn fatal.
Sweden's government finally got around to banning phone use while driving in February, and VW and its Scandinavian agency, Nord DDB, dreamt up "Crashed Cases," a limited-line of grimly unique Apple iPhone 8 cases made with the sheetmetal of cars that were wrecked in an accident caused by a driver distracted by phone use.
Unfortunately, the country hasn't seen a noticeable decrease in the number of accidents, which is when VW decided to step in. Initially, the campaign will kick off with just 153 of the handmade cases, each being produced with the metal from one of the serious accidents to have happened in Sweden during the first month of a new ban on phone use while driving.It's unclear if Crashed Cases will be an ongoing effort, and it would be macabre for consumers to hope or ask the company to make more of the avant garde metallic cases considering the unfortunate nature of the material's provenance.
"We know how easily it happens that you accidentally pick up your phone to receive a call or to send a text," says Johan Karlsson, Brand Manager at Volkswagen Stockholm. "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." Each case costs 599 Swedish crowns, or about $70 and all profits will go to Trafikskadefonden, which helps rehabilitate victims of car crashes.
