Texting and Driving. We all know that it is wrong, however, so many of us continue to make the horrible decision and use our phones while behind the wheel. The following is a small list of the top reasons we should not be texting and driving.

1. It puts innocent lives at risk

When you make the decision to text and drive, you make the decision to risk the lives of those around you. That simple action of "answering a quick text" or even glancing at a text, means that you are selfishly putting other people’s lives in danger. It is one thing to put your own life in danger, but it is unfair and unnecessary to risk the lives of others. These innocent people; young children, friends in your car, pedestrians, and fellow drivers, did absolutely nothing wrong and are forced to have their lives at risk solely due to a poor decision that you made.

2. It puts your life at risk

Regardless of how quickly you feel you can glance at your phone or respond to a text, taking your eyes off the road not only risks the lives of everyone around you, it risks your own life. Was that text really more important than your life?

3. It is comparable to, if not worse than, driving under the influence

Bisociety.org claims that drivers who are texting while driving are 23% more likely to crash their cars. This percentage is equivalent to that of the average person who has drunk four beers and then began to operate a vehicle! This may sound hard to believe, however, if you think about it, the effects of alcohol can be simulated by the distraction of texting! As we all know, alcohol slows down your reaction time and causes distorted judgment and perception. Now imagine yourself in a texting conversation while someone in person is also trying to speak to you. I know that when this happens to me, I take much longer to respond to each person as our brains are not capable of processing so much at once! Now, imagine what happens when you are driving while texting; think about how your brain is trying to process this! When a dangerous situation occurs in front of you and you are busy on your phone, your reaction time to the situation in front of you is almost guaranteed to be slower! In addition, some of the time where you should be "reacting" to the present situation is spent staring at a screen, often times taking away any possible time to even react alone. In regards to judgment, how are you supposed to properly judge the situation on the road if all of your thoughts and focus is the conversation you are having and your screen? Now imagine what not even looking at the road does to your perception! Has a professional athlete ever played in a game with their eyes closed? Even LeBron James has to watch the game in front of him to know who to pass to and how to shoot appropriately. Regardless of how great or experienced a driver you think you are; you are almost guaranteed to get into an accident if you are driving without actually looking at the road.

4. You are more likely to crash

Studies, as seen from drivingtests.org show that those who text and drive are 23% more likely to be involved in a car accident. Crashing your vehicle not only increases your car insurance, you then also have to pay to get the car fixed! Not only are you risking your life and the lives of those around you, you are also quite literally forcing yourself to pay the price for making the mistake of texting and driving.

5. It's very easy to simply pull over

If you are willing to put your entire life at risk in order to check a text, you are much better off simply pulling off to the side of the road and making yourself just a little late to get where you need to be. It's better to get there late than to never get there at all.

6. You are setting a bad example for children

Often times while operating a vehicle, you have younger people and young children in the car with you. Being older than these people, you are, in many respects, a role model to them. Texting and driving with children in the car is most importantly a horrible idea as it risks their young innocent lives, but secondly, it portrays an awful example to them! Children pick up on a lot more than we think they do. Portraying to them that it is okay to text and drive is only going to lead to them making the mistake and risking their lives in the future. Is this danger something we want future generations and our children and younger siblings to face? If not, then we need to stop showing them that it is okay to text and drive.

7. It is often illegal

Regardless of the all the harm caused by texting and driving, it is also illegal in many states! Fines and punishments for texting and driving range greatly depending on the state that you live in; for some states, the fine is merely $20, however, in others, it can be up to $500. I know people that were fined over $200 simply for having their phones in their hand! And, if the action of texting and driving ends in injuring any other individuals, you can actually end up in jail, depending on the severity of the injury! This is just the icing on the cake as to why you should stop texting and driving!

Please share this article and add your reasons as to why we as a population need to stop texting and driving now! Help me spread awareness and stop the horrible texting and driving epidemic.