Don’t Text & Drive

Texting and Driving, we see it every day and it seems to be the norm. As we drive, we see people on their phones talking or texting while driving, not paying attention, and crossing the centerline, or moving into your lane. Texting and driving have increased over the years with smartphones, busy lives, social media, and wanting to stay connected. Although many people argue that texting only takes your eyes off the road for a few seconds what they don’t realize is that in those few seconds, something unexpected could happen. If you’re traveling at high rates of speed, you can travel significant distances in a few seconds. Those few seconds that you are on your phone could hit the brakes or swerve out of the way of a quickly approaching article. If your eyes are on your phone instead of the road, you lose valuable time that could have been used to prevent an accident.

The wide range of activities that distract the drivers have become distinctive in the environment today. Messing with the radio takes one’s concentration off the road, and they may swerve into the ditch, or even into another car. I have seen an accident, of which the cause was a cell phone. A person talking on the phone rolled through a four-way stop and was nearly squashed by another car. Onlookers of accidents also cause accidents themselves, particularly if in fast traffic. However, there are still more dangerous driving habits. Tailgating and speeding are terrible habits that put other drivers in danger and the driver themselves. The tailgate can’t predict when the car in front of them will suddenly stop. When they do suddenly break, the tailgate will ram into the back of that vehicle. While speeding in a neighborhood, it’s very easy to not notice the slower cars pulling out of a driveway. As a result, the speeder will crash into the other vehicle.

One of the best ways to prevent texting and driving is to start the habit of keeping your eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel. For many people, this will be a challenge because they constantly check their phones. However, there are several tasks that are done habitually when driving a car, such as putting on your seatbelt before driving and locking your car. The key to a new habit is to add it to your older habits; you’re not breaking the habit of texting and driving, but creating a new habit that prevents you from using your phone while driving. Incorporating new habits can challenge, but the key to success is staying consistent and constantly reminding yourself until it becomes a habit. Attack sticky notes to the wheel of your car to remind yourself not to use your phone while you drive. You can drive with a friend so they can remind you not to use your phone while you drive. Whichever way you go about this, it’s important to stick with your habit and not give in to the temptation of using your phone. Always keep in mind that the benefits of staying focused on the road and not driving while distracted will not only benefit yourself but could also save a life.