Life or Death: You Decide

Life
or Death: You Decide

One
moment, you’re screaming songs in the car with the windows down,
phone in one hand, oblivious to the world around you. The next, glass
shatters, your airbags deploy, you smell smoke, your ears are
ringing, and you end up with injuries for the rest of your life.
Sounds dramatic? Think again. Thousands of people die every year from
negligence behind the wheel. What’s even more frustrating- much of
it is highly preventable and could save the lives of thousands of
innocent people unsuspecting of what is to come. All because someone
decided they had to respond to “just one text” and blew through a
red light. I have seen phones come out countless times when in the
passenger seat. Nowadays, cars are so technologically oriented that
your phone will even read you text messages or answer calls through
the speaker system. While these are fantastic features that ensure
that drivers stay off of their phones, it doesn’t prevent all of
the deaths that regularly happen. We need to go back to where the
basics begin: drivers ed. Teaching young drivers the catastrophic
repercussions of texting while driving is essential. Instead of
saying “Don’t text and drive, it’s dangerous” we need to be
showing them the aftermath of what that “one text” will do to
their life and the mother of three they killed. We need to remind
parents who text and drive that their children are young and
malleable. Children watch their parents every move and if they see
that their role models are on their phones while driving, it
oftentimes makes these children think they are capable of doing the
same. No one is capable of multitasking on the road, and you would
think that the statistics would wake people up and make them realize
that. However, it sadly does not. We need to begin promoting ads and
marketing materials far and wide to reach every new driver and
experienced driver who thinks that they are capable of texting and
driving. We need to show them that one day, this will catch up to
them and cost them greatly. Instead of sending that “one text” as
your flying down the interstate, turn on that do not disturb while
driving button, or better yet, have your passenger respond for you.
The text can wait, your life won’t.