Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films

This film covers the early history of post World War II educational films, especially those involving traffic safety by the Highway Safety Foundation under direction of Richard Wayman. In the name of promoting safe driving in teenagers, these films became notorious for their gory depiction of accidents to shock their audiences to make their point. The film also covers the role of safety films of this era, their effect on North American teenage culture, the struggle between idealism and lurid exploitation and how they reflected the larger society concerns of the time that adults projected onto their youth.

Cast

John P. Butler Self

Earle Deems Self

John R. Domer Self

David Krug Self

Eric Krug Self

Rick Prelinger Self

Mike Vraney Self

James Waller Self

Bret Wood Self

Martin Yant Self

Helena Reckitt Narrator

Richard Anderson Husband (archive footage)

Metadata from the source database.