Scared Straight or Scared Senseless?

One common tactic for deterring teenagers from making bad decisions such as drinking and driving or texting and driving is scare tactics, but do they truly teach teenagers to make good decisions, or do they simply cause trauma? Commercials intended to prevent drunk or distracted driving or drug abuse often use shocking or graphic imagery and situations that many parents have criticized video games for featuring imagery equally graphic, so why is it acceptable for these campaigns? These videos can cause reactions that parents feel violent video games should cause in teenagers, proving teenagers are not as desensitized as parents claim. Teenagers understand that the gore depicted in video games isn't real, but to show teenagers a video depicting a fictionalized drunk driving crash and the aftermath as well as the events leading up to it, starring their classmates, can be deeply disturbing and traumatic. Making the issue more personal can make it feel more real, but will that truly help deter teenagers, who are known for being defiant and stubborn, from continuing to make dangerous choices? If the best method you can come up with involves risking compromising the mental health of a teenager who may very well already have PTSD, you should not be in charge of trying to help young people make good decisions, as you yourself cannot do exactly what you want to help them do.