You've been in love with driving ever since you turned 16. Crank up the radio, roll the windows down, and cruise. It feels amazing to be able to hop in your vehicle and drive anywhere you want. But how would you feel if all of this was taken away because you made a terrible decision? I'm not just talking about driving while intoxicated, but texting and driving as well. Did you ever think about what would happen if you got pulled over? In a car accident? Injured yourself or someone else? No? Well, it's time to start thinking about the long-term effects of these decisions.
Not only does texting and driving take your eyes off the road, but it causes you to lose control of your vehicle. You might not spin off the road, but simply swerving in between lanes is losing control. When your eyes are on your phone, you're not watching the cars in front of you. You don't see that child crossing the street or deer running past you to catch his family. You don't see that truck hit his breaks or the school bus stop. When you miss these things, you could cause a terrible accident for you and all parties involved. And guess who's the one to blame? Not that child, deer, truck driver, or bus full of children, but YOU. YOU are the one that decided to mess with your phone. YOU are the one that decided to take your eyes off the road. YOU are the one that put those innocent lives in danger.
You might be thinking, "I had to answer it. It was important." Is that text message really that important? Can't you wait to answer that video call until you reach your destination? If you answered no, then PULL OVER. Don't put other people's lives in danger because you couldn't wait 10 more minutes to answer that person back.
I witnessed someone firsthand video chatting while driving. They had their phone on top of the steering wheel in one hand and the other on the wheel. The person kept swerving in and out of the lane and changing speeds. She didn't have her full attention on the road because she was too concerned about the
Did you ever realize that you could be pulled over for messing with your phone? Not only is this dangerous, but the police will suspect that something is wrong when you can't even stay between the lines. Depending on the state, you could pay as much as $500 for a ticket and eventually have your license suspended if you continue to text and drive. Right away they're going to assume that you're drunk, so please tell the truth. If this isn't the case, they've more than likely caught you red-handed. Police officers can even check your phone records to see if an accident was caused by texting, so it's pointless to lie. It's going to hurt, you're going to be punished, but it's a hard lesson that needs to be learned.
If you can avoid paying $500, losing your license, and putting people in danger, why don't you do so?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed." In 2015...
3,477 people were killed by distracted driving
391,000 people were injured by distracted driving
660,000 people used their electronic devices during the day while driving
It's 2017 people; those statistics are 2 years old. Can you imagine what those numbers are now? Does it make you cringe thinking about it? It's time to put the devices away and pay attention to the road. It doesn't matter how good of a driver you say you are, it's dangerous.
So, what can you do to help make those numbers go down?
1. Put your phone away. Be a good influence to those around you.
2. Take the pledge. Make the commitment to drive phone-free today and forever.
3. Encourage others to drive safe and inform them of the consequences.
It only takes one person to change the world around you, so join the fight to end distracted driving.
"U Drive. U Text. U Pay."
#justdrive
