Oprah Winfrey condemns the use of cell phones behind the wheel as they cause thousands of accidents annually. Winfrey portrays it as a preventable disaster in her 2010 New York Times article “Dnt Txt N Drv,” and even went as far as banning her employees from using their cell phones while driving. Winfrey is surely right about the problem of texting and driving, because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have shown that there has been an exponential increase in accidents over the years due to cell phones.

Winfrey begins her article with a story about a little girl who was the victim of a texting and driving accident. “I think about Erica’s death and how senseless and stupid it was, caused by a driver distracted by a text that just couldn’t wait,” she says. Winfrey uses emotional sarcasm to describe how unimportant the driver’s phone call was in comparison to a little girl’s life. The whole idea that Winfrey asserts throughout her article is the fact that each accident caused by a cellphone is 100 percent preventable. It is impossible to say that one text message is more important than an individual's life.

Oprah Winfrey is a role model all over the world. As she advocates the many wrongs and consequences that accompany texting and driving, millions, are out there paying attention to what she has to say.

Recently, ITCANWAIT.com, a website promoted by AT&T, has influenced over 7 million people to stray away from using their cell phones behind the wheel. Ultimately, all it takes is one text message, or phone call, to take someone away from their loved ones and according to Winfrey, “Life is more precious than taking a call or answering an email.”