No Text is Worth Your Life

With the holidays quickly approaching and people traveling the country to see friends and family I thought this little reminder might help you to think about the risks involved with texting and driving.

We’ve all heard the warnings to not text and drive but yet still over 20% of all accidents can be attributed to cell phone use behind the wheel. This is over 1.3 million accidents that could have been prevented if we could just put the phone down!! I know we are all so busy and crunched for time that it seems logical that we would get our phone calls and texting done while driving. Unfortunately when you are texting while driving you increase your chances of crashing by 32 times! Think of it this way, sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. So let’s say you are going 55 mph that would mean that you would drive the entire length of a football field…. BLIND!

I know how tempting it is to just sneak a peak or shoot a quick text to tell someone you are running late but resist temptation. I have found it easiest to put my phone completely out of reach, often times in the trunk or back seat just so I don’t tempt myself at a red light. Trust me your friends and family will understand if you don’t text them back right away, and when it comes down to it they want you there safe more than they want a text back. So use common sense and talk to your kids about the dangers associated with texting and driving! You never know, it could save a life.