Would a phone case made of mangled car metal make you stop texting and driving?

Volkswagen, with the help of an ad agency, made a batch of phone cases made from the crumpled metal of crashed cars.

“We believe a phone case made by damaged vehicles will make you think twice before you pick up your phone [in the car],” says Johan Karlson, brand manager at Volkswagen Stockholm. Well, maybe, or maybe not, but it’s the thought that counts: The new cases and accompanying PR campaign might help raise the public consciousness about a problem that’s still killing a lot of people. Volkswagen points out that you are 23 times more likely to crash if you’re texting while driving. 

The automaker says it has produced 153 of the handmade cases–one for each serious accident that has occurred in Sweden since February 2018 when a new law against phoning and driving was in effect. Proceeds from the (online) sale of the cases will be donated to Swedish “Trafikskadefonden,” an org that helps rehabilitate people who’ve been in traffic accidents. The cases cost 599 Swedish crowns (about $70 U.S.).