You know how some conversations are so intense that you become completely absorbed in what's being said, and you temporarily forget about the outside world? Maybe your pulse increases and your mind flies ten thousand miles per hour while you mentally prepare your next response? As human beings, we thrive off of these conversations. Most of us want to escape small talk and get down to the serious stuff, but sometimes we're so engrossed in the conversation that we put aside our safety.
When we find ourselves in the middle of a thrilling conversation right before sitting down in the driver's seat, we find that it's incredibly hard to put our phones down. We think, "I have to respond or they'll think I'm ignoring them," or "I can't leave this conversation right now. I'll just text them back at the stop signs." But do we really wait to respond until we reach a stop sign?
Not all of us do. Research shows that at any given moment in America, about 660,000 drivers are using their cellphones (Distracted).
660,000 DRIVERS are using their cellphones. Right now. Have you ever thought about that?
How many times have you been in a car where the driver was texting, picking a song on Spotify, or looking at their GPS?
How many times have you looked out your car window to find the driver beside you oblivious to the world around her because she was looking down at her phone?
How many times has that person been you?
Did you know that Every Day in the United States, at least 8 people die, and over 1,000 people are injured due to distracted driving (Centers). That means that at least 2,900 deaths and 365,000 injuries could be prevented each year.
But Get This.
You Can Help Make This Number Smaller. You can be a LEADER, a HERO.
You Can Save Lives. Every Day.
How?
Don't Text and Drive!
Put Your Phone On Silent When Driving.
Only Use It When Pulled Over In A Safe Location.
If A Driver In Your Vehicle Is Using His or Her Phone, Politely Ask If You Can Do Something For Them, But DO NOT FIGHT THE DRIVER FOR THEIR CELL PHONE.
Sign A Pledge Saying You Will Not Be A Distracted Driver!
And remember, it might only take three seconds to look at a text, but that's enough time for a child to walk into the street.
Don't Be That Person.
Focus while you're driving. Put the phone down. Save a child's life, and save your own.
No Text is Worth the Consequences.
Works Cited:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016, www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving//. Accessed 26 October 2016.
Distracted Driving: Facts and Statistics. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation, www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html. Accessed 26 October 2016.
