Red Asphalt

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Red Asphalt is a series of instructional driver's education films and videos produced by the California Highway Patrol, known for their graphic depictions of fatal traffic collisions in a shockumentary style. [1] Horrendously injured and dismembered bodies are shown, typically those of negligent drivers. The original film was produced in 1960, [2] and four sequels have been produced over the following decades. Over the years, many have questioned whether the film actually has a long-term impact on students' driving. [3]

Contents

Red Asphalt was originally conceived as Californian version of the similar 1959 film Signal 30 . [4] According to The Los Angeles Times, "The original [1960] 16-millimeter black-and-white version of Red Asphalt was compiled from newsreel footage. Screened in driver's education classes at a time when violence was rarely depicted in movies and never shown on TV, its graphic nature immediately turned it into a teenage classic." [2] Red Asphalt III, produced in 1989, showed "stomach-churning wreckage scenes and images of mangled bodies, crushed skulls and charred flesh." [5] The fourth version, produced in 1998, was a more "tasteful" affair, focusing on rescuers and family members rather than the original's graphic crash footage. [2]

The series was criticized in 2006 by the Los Angeles Times for its poor acting and being a "joyless ride" of gruesome images and statistics; the paper called Red Asphalt "the Reefer Madness of driving: Forget trying to reason with teenagers, just scare 'em." [4]

Installments

See also

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References

  1. Smith, Martin J. (2017). Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee: and Other Tales of the People, Places, and Peculiarities of the Modern American Southwest. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 50. ISBN   978-1-4930-2845-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Pool, Bob (Jan 22, 1998). "Asleep at the Wheel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. Hubert, Cynthia (July 25, 2003). "Driver's Dread: For 40 years, Red Asphalt has been the gory core of traffic safety classes". Sacramento Bee. pp. E1–E2. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 Martin J. Smith (21 June 2006). "Thrills! Nausea! Bad acting!". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. Martín, Hugo (January 21, 2003). "Gore or Emotion -- What Moves Teen Drivers?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.