"The Last Text" - AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary

Overview

The documentary warns that texting while driving can have life-changing or fatal consequences, even when a message seems brief or insignificant. It compares looking at a phone for a few seconds to driving with your eyes closed.

Stories and Accounts

Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Grant Hendricks describes the crash that killed Mariah West. Her vehicle crossed the median and struck a bridge; she was due to graduate the next day. Her family says she was looking at a text when she lost control. Her sister, who had sent the message, describes the lasting guilt of knowing it was part of their final exchange.

The film also shares the account of a young driver who struck and killed a bicyclist while reading and replying to a text. He recalls the grief and self-hatred that followed. Another crash survivor describes being left unable to drive, walk independently, or work as before after a collision attributed to texting.

Mariah’s family remembers her warmth and energy. They recount that she was texting for directions on her way to meet a boy when the crash happened. Hendricks says he has handled similar cases more than once and asks viewers to consider whether any message is worth the risk.

Presenters and Contributors

• Trooper Grant Hendricks
• Members of Mariah West’s family and friends
• An unnamed driver involved in a fatal bicyclist crash
• An unnamed survivor of a texting-related crash