Do Something Now about Distracted Driving...Not Later When You've Lost So Much!

Everyday, I look for more information on distracted driving. It really doesn't take more than a simple Google search of the news to find a plethora of intel. I was about to post this story about a widow in Roanoke honoring her husband by speaking out against distracted driving with the comment, "Do something about distracted driving before you are left doing it in honor of someone you lost." Then it dawned on me that this was the post I wanted to write today.


It shames me to say that I have not always driven distraction free. I have broken every rule that I now live by plus some. In 2009, I actually rear-ended an SUV because I was emotionally compromised by an incident at work and did not stop in time. Thankfully, no one was hurt (except my little plastic car). You would think that this near miss would have shook me awake. However, it was the loss of my beautiful sister Gayla that finally put me into gear. No one listens to you until you make a mistake has been a truism that I have often considered. I'll revise it to say no one listens until you're gone.

Be aware and share what you know with the ones you love. Don't wait until you are left with a broken heart before you remove distractions from your driving. Don't tell yourself the lie that you are different, you can handle it, you can do it better, it won't happen to you. You are 23 times more likely to be in a wreck when you are distracted by texting on your cellar equipment. Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes. When you're sending or receiving a text, you take your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that is the same as driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.