The Dangers of Texting While Driving

By Sarah Dyer on March 26, 2010

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I never watch Oprah. I love the woman but I just don’t watch her show, I’m not sure why, I used to all the time. Anyhow, for some reason I watched it this morning and I may sound crazy but I believe in listening. I’m not quite sure how to put this, but listening when you feel like you are supposed to listen to a message that may have been subtly put in front of you multiple times recently. This was a message that I took to heart and will make a positive change and I hope you all do too.

Tragedies

The show today was all about texting while driving and the tragedies that are a result. I listened to a story of a family that lost their 9 year old daughter. She was on her bike riding home from school and was 15 pedals (30 seconds) from their house when she was run over by someone who just didn’t see her because they were using their phone. And another story of a 19 year old who was texting while driving on the highway and hit and killed two men who were carpooling to work.

Needless

Imagine the grief of losing a child to something so needless, imagine losing a loved one, imagine killing someone else’s loved one. I really just can’t fathom the grief.

The Damage

Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 people are killed each year due to distracted drivers that are texting, talking or emailing. I’m a really good driver, I can multitask well and I’m very careful. You know what, I will never text, email or talk on the phone again while I’m driving. If we’re all smart enough people not to drink and drive, we should be smart enough not to use our phones and drive. For the future of my loved ones and for yours, please make a change and spread the word

About the Author

Sarah is a mom of three awesome kids who make her laugh, cry and pull out her hair. She observes the world around her; applies her own experiences and then writes about them. She thinks she’s pretty funny sometimes, but she could just be delusional and need to tweak her sleep/coffee ratio. Sarah waves the NAFTA flag having lived in small town NJ, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago and Mexico City and is now back in her hometown of Toronto. Her current rule to live by is: Be Kind to Your Fellow Moms (Parents). Follow her on Twitter @sarahdyer or for extra kicks start a game with her on Words with Friends (poper12).