Monday, March 5, 2012

Don't Text & Drive


   I'll be 24 this year. I come from the generation of texting and wi-fi. On one hand it has made things a lot easier, on the other it's also caused an epidemic...texting/talking on the cell phone while driving. It's kind of like drinking and driving only the person is (usually) sober. How stories are there about kids dying in a car accident because they were texting or talking on the phone while driving? Yet people read those stories and think "well, that will never happen to me!" You know, that's not necessarily true. You can be a great driver, but if your attention is on your phone instead of the road then that's a dangerous situation. 
  I just read a story about a young girl who plowed into the back of tanker going 80mph. She was IMing a friend on Facebook and wasn't paying attention. The police say they don't think she even hit the brakes. Her parents say that she was a responsible girl, a good driver, she had a bright future ahead of her...it only took once, her attention was elsewhere and now her family has to go through their lives without her. She was 18...graduated top of her class...I bet you she was thinking "it'll never happen to me." Her last text even said that she couldn't talk because she was driving. My heart grieves for her family.
   As a mother I pray that my boys will grow up into responsible young men, but it's up to me to set the example. I've gotten on my husband for talking on the phone while driving. In fact before we got our Jeep we walked EVERYWHERE! I can't tell you how many times we almost got hit because someone wasn't paying attention because they were on the phone. We would be in the crosswalk...the little white guy would be on the sign and we'd be pushing the stroller and BAM! we'd have to quickly jump out of the way. Most of the people looked horrified at what almost happened, while others looked pissed that we were in their way.(I can't stand self-entitled people!) I got really good at giving dirty looks or confronting drivers! I bet most of those people were usually very good drivers, but if we hadn't been paying attention while their attention was diverted to their cell we very well could've wound up in the hospital, or worse. 
    As you can see this subject is important to me! I know that in this modern day, cell phone using world that people rely, almost solely on their phones. It's their agenda keeper, appointment reminder, and personal assistant. Multitasking has been made easier then ever, but please if you feel that you absolutely cannot not answer the call or the text, then PULL OVER!! PLEASE!! For one it's against the law and for 2 it is dangerous. You may never get in an accident, but do you really want to risk it? I know a lot of people will tell me to get off my soap box, but I believe it's important that people really think about what they're doing. We're living in  a zero accountability world and that scares me! I'm 23, so this isn't a post by your grandma or your mom, it's from someone who is your generation! I graduated in 2006, I turned 21 in 2009. Just think about it. 







1 comment:

  1. The craziest part is that she was posting a comment about how she had to stop messaging because she was driving. So sad.

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