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 car accidents 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]
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 edit
- 1960: Red Asphalt
- 1978: Red Asphalt II
- 1989: Red Asphalt III
- 1998: Red Asphalt IV
- 2006: Red Asphalt V
See also edit
References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Pool, Bob (Jan 22, 1998). "Asleep at the Wheel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Martín, Hugo (January 21, 2003). "Gore or Emotion -- What Moves Teen Drivers?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
External links edit
- Martin, Hugo (21 January 2003). "Gore or Emotion -- What Moves Teen Drivers?". Los Angeles Times.
- Red Asphalt at IMDb
- Red Asphalt II at IMDb
- Red Asphalt III at IMDb
- Red Asphalt IV at IMDb
- Red Asphalt V at IMDb
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