Think of it this way: is your call or text worth someone’s life? “Of course not!” would be everyone’s reply, and yet, how many times do we take a quick peek at a text, or answer our phones while driving? We probably have all done this at one time or another, but did you know more than 6,000 people were killed in 2008 due to distracted driving? Another 500,000 were injured!
- Studies have shown there is a 37 percent reduction in brain activity while doing these activities and driving
- Drivers who use hand held devices are four times as likely to become involved in a car crash serious enough to injure themselves.
- Cell phone use while driving, whether it is a hand held device or a hands free device, delays a drivers reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
All of these statistics point to one thing: we need to pull over to do our talking and texting and never allow ourselves to be distracted by either. Someones life, someones loved one, is in danger each time you do!
Iowa recently became the twenty-first State to sign an ant-texting while driving bill into law. The U.S. Department of Transportation has a website called Distraction.gov, which provides statistics and tips and other pertinent websites with invaluable information on this vital subject. This is a problem for drivers of all ages, adults as well as teens.
Colorado congresswoman Betsey Markey recently proposed a bill, which calls for a loss of Federal funding for States who do not ban cell phone use by drivers in school zones. This was prompted by Erica’s Law, named after nine-year-old Erica Forney, who was killed by a driver using a cell phone. The girl was riding her bike home after school and lived in Markey’s Fort Collins district.
The statistics have prompted talk show host Oprah Winfrey to join with several traffic and public safety groups, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Students Against Destructive Decisions in asking everyone to join with them today to observe a No Phone Zone day and to sign an online pledge, promising to do your part in policing yourself by pledging not to be distracted by your phone, whether it is texting or talking. As of this morning, Oprah had received 222,319 pledges!
I urge you to sign Oprah’s petition and then share it with someone you love. Hold yourself accountable today!
Sources:
- 1.NHTSA (http://www.nhtsa.gov)
- 2.http://www.distraction.gov
- 3.http://www.saferoads.org
- 4.http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/
- 5.http://www.handsfreeinfo.com
- 6.http://http://betsymarkey.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=182151
- 7.http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4
