We all see others doing it, and most of us can admit to doing it ourselves…driving while we are distracted. However, if life is what we live for, then why do so many of us drive while our attention to the road is distracted by our cell phones? What type of example our we setting for our kids, who will be our future drivers, or who are now our new, inexperienced drivers ? If we think it’s OK to drive distracted and then preach to our kids that they better not do it, aren’t we being hypocritical? Face it, kids learn their habits from watching us, and if we are talking/texting while we drive, they will undoubtedly be doing it as well. Even when driven carefully and defensively, cars kill. However, when our driving skills and focus are compromised, the stakes are raised and other people’s lives, along with our own, are placed in danger. Many of us take life for granted by following our daily routines and trying to pack as much work/activities as possible into the hours of the day. While we rush from place to place too many of us are talking/texting/checking texts or emails etc. while driving through dangerous roads or in residential neighborhoods where kids are playing. Think about it, aren’t we tempting fate? Will we be able to face the consequences if we injure our own family or a neighbor’s child? We need to reexamine the life in which we consciously or unconsciously participate. According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving contributes to one in four traffic accidents. Unbelievably, between 4,000 and 8,000 crashes per day are associated with distracted driving. One study concludes that cell phone drivers’ reaction times are reduced by approximately 20 percent and that such drivers are significantly more likely to be involved in rear end collisions than drivers not using cell phones, even though the drivers’ eyes are fixed on the road ahead. The most startling conclusion of this study, is that the performance of drivers using cell phones is more impaired than drivers who are intoxicated. Another study concluded that drivers on cell phones have more accidents and slower reaction times than drivers who are legally drunk. All the dangers and risks created by driving while using our cell phones are avoidable. It is a choice. We as drivers choose whether to risk our lives and the lives of others by using a cell phone while driving. Life is here today, and it’s our responsibility to preserve it. We have control over the daily tasks and decisions that make up our day to make sure that life will be here tomorrow. So before we pick up our cell phones the next time we are in our cars, let’s examine if our lives are worth living.
Mark T. Freeley, Esq. – www.NorthShoreInjuryLawyer.com