Yikes. And you thought those Volkswagen car accident ads were shocking and graphic.

This ad for seatbelt safety - trying to push across the idea that you wearing a seatbelt not only protects you in an accident but also the other people in the car, the ones who are wearing them - is one of the most startling ads I've seen in a while. It might do for cars what Jaws did for the water.

The ad has a kid and his girlfriend being all touchy-feely and happy with each other (really, it starts out like an ad for soda or maybe condoms or Axe body spray), then it changes gears when the action switches to a small car that has four people in it, our couple and another couple. Another car drifts over the center line and hits them head on, and we're treated to a slow motion disaster that shows what might happen when someone isn't wearing their seatbelt. I feel like wearing a seatbelt while sitting in this chair typing this.

Side note: doesn't the woman look a little old for the kid? Is this one of those student/teacher scandals?