Stop Distracted Driving!

Two years ago I rode
in the passenger’s seat of my 18 year old brother’s car driving
home from youth group one Sunday night. As a rule, my brother did
not text and drive, and yet only a half mile from home, his cell
phone lit up and vibrated in his cup holder. In a split second
glance at his phone, my brother veered off the road smashing a
mailbox and snapping off a street sign. While his car was
substantially damaged, I was extremely fortunate to not be injured.
Had the car been only inches farther off the road, I would’ve been
hospitalized or even killed.

Texting and driving
has become a serious problem in recent years. Studies show that a
texting driver is 23 times more likely to be in a crash than
non-texting drivers. According to the NHTSA, driving while texting
is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.

It is imperative
that driver’s training includes education to deter teens and other
drivers from distracted driving practices. Education should include
interviews and testimony from people impacted by distracted driving.
Education should also include real-life pictures and videos from
crash scenes due to distracted driving. It should also include all
the hard facts and statistics that would persuade drivers to “Just
Say No” to texting and driving.

Lawmakers should
pass legislation that at minimum, drivers should be required to
silence their phones and place them in a glove compartment or purse
out of view. Currently, drivers can choose to download apps that
lock their phone while driving, but I believe lawmakers should take
the extra step of requiring all phones to have a locking feature that
would engage whenever a car is in motion. I pledge to do my part by
refusing to drive while distracted and insisting that my friends and
family never drive while distracted.