The Impact of Texting and Driving

The Impact of Texting & Driving
and How We Can Combat the Number of Resulting Deaths

Until I reached middle school, I had little appreciation of the dangers of texting and driving. That was when a local high school football star wrecked his car and died as a result of a serious head injury. As if losing her son, Gage, wasn’t difficult enough, his mom eventually charged his cell phone and realized that Gage wrecked as he opened and read her last text to him while he was driving.

It wasn’t until I was a freshman starting high school, that the full impact of Gage’s loss hit me. Walking through the schools’ main doors, everyone is immediately greeted by the sight of Gage’s football jersey and photo in the glass trophy case. Around the school, one sees posters everywhere that say “W8 2 TXT”, a safe driving campaign spearheaded by Gage’s mom, Nikki. Almost directly across the street from the high school is the cemetery where Gage is buried. It is impossible to drive by without noticing the glossy black marble headstone with a candid photograph of Gage, serving as a reminder to all that one is immune to the dangers of distracted driving.

Since Gage’s death, Nikki has been sharing her message by visiting local schools and speaking to students about the importance of not texting while driving. Her campaign and Gage’s story have been shared nationwide, even appearing as an ESPN special. She also used her black Volkswagen beetle to spread the word; on the back window were large white vinyl letters saying, “I lost my son to texting while driving; W& 2 TXT.” This allowed her to spread her message to everyone she passed on her daily commute to and from work in a neighboring city.

Less experienced drivers aged 15-19 are more likely to be distracted than drivers aged 20 and older, according to the CDC. Hence, many states are banning texting while driving and banning hand-held cell phone use while driving. However, research on the effectiveness of cell phone and texting laws is inadequate to determine the impact.

It would be phenomenal if phone and auto industries partnered together to implement technology preventing anyone from texting while their vehicle is moving. Technology and artificial intelligence capabilities should be advanced enough that this would be easily achieved. Thankfully, I have not been driver nor passenger in an accident, though I have been with people who texted while driving and, honestly, it freaks me out. I remember several occasions saying to my mom “Here, Mom, let me text Dad while you drive.” The unfortunate thing is that children imitate what they see around them, whether it is parents who text, eat, or talk on the phone while driving. All we can do is be good role models to our friends, siblings and/or passengers who ride in the vehicle with us, by practicing safety and common sense. Put your phone in the glove box or in your console, where it is accessible in case of emergency, but prevents temptation to pick it up.