Herzog doc about texting while driving is properly frightening

Acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog has created a 35-minute documentary for AT&T called "From One Second To The Next" as part of a campaign against texting and driving.

The harrowing short film is sure to scare viewers straight at "more than 40,000 high schools" and "hundreds of safety organizations and government agencies" where it will be shown, according to AT&T.

AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign, which warns of the dangers of texting while driving, approached Herzog to create the short films, and his direct and haunting style may have the intended effect.

Four accidents are described in the film, some fatal, and Herzog follows both victims and perpetrators in the aftermath.

A boy's paralysis -- and the life of his family and caregivers -- is described in detail, the result of a girl texting "I'm on my way" as she ran a stop sign, speeding in a school zone.

Another segment shows a remorseful man responsible for hitting and killing three Amish while texting back and forth with his wife on his way to work.