I was watching Oprah the other day with my daughter. The topic was distracted driving. I have been guilty of this in the past myself. No I do NOT text and drive, but I have spoken on the phone, and even have eaten while I drove on occasion. This episode brought home the dangers of ANY distraction. So I won't be doing that anymore! They say when you know better, you do better and I am doing better.
I thought of my daughter driving on the roads with people who do this and I was struck by how quickly it can happen! I have threatened her life (LOL) if she EVER texts while driving and we agreed that she will pull over if she needs to make a call and will not answer the phone until her car is stopped. I can't protect her from everyone out there that does stupid things, but I can try to make my voice heard to try and keep her, and all of us safer on the roads. I am a big proponent of stopping drunk driving and so this just fits right in. I am not against drinking or texting; just do it at home, not in the car!
One story on Oprah really got me, as the young man was killed when he dropped his phone and tried to retrieve it from the floor and crashed headfirst into a tree; he was killed instantly. Such a innocent thing resulted in his loss of his life. All the stories were heartbreaking; families devastated by something so stupid and preventable. And it is not just kids doing this! There were adults doing it as well!!
We really don't need to be THAT connected and that self centered that our desires should end someone's life or our own. That phone call can wait! And tell everyone to stop that stupid texting crap! Personally. I just don't get it. I can call you and say what I need to say in a couple of minutes; it takes me forever to text and it is so impersonal. But I get that people just love it, and like anything else, it needs to be done appropriately! Not while you are driving a vehicle or any other activity that requires attention.
I think technology is great, but we are becoming more and more disconnected from each other. I see and hear people EVERYWHERE yakking away like they are totally alone. Some of these conversations are really inappropriate and bizarre. I see people at dinner in restaurants blabbing away on the phone while their dinner companion basically eats alone,and the rest of us have to listen to a totally invasive conversation; usually carried on quite loudly!
No one needs to lose their life over this. I signed Oprah's no phone zone promise; you can too by going here; http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html
Remember the life you save may be your own.
3 comments:
Wanna call and threathen Kindle for me?
She cries if I take her phone away from here, sleeps with the darn thing clutched in her hand. One day while driving she got a text and actually picked it up. I about took it and threw it out the window. I can just see her, my kid texting while driving....Im not stupid!
Already been there and done that. A guest said something the other day on the show that really struck. We all think we are safe usin' hand free devices but this guest who had caused and accident said, "it's not where our hands are it's where our heads are." Driving takes concentration we all need a wake up call. Thanks for posting this...it needed to be said and you did it eloquently.
God bless and have a glorious week!
I am guilty of doing both. Texting while driving and driving. I have stopped doing it now. It has been too devistating to see the consequences and my biggest fear is that I will kill someone else. Not me, but them.
Thank you for the continued fight to get the word out.
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