No call is more important then someone’s life!

I recently saw a flyer posted at work that had this typed out:

Then a friend on Facebook posted that her father was hit by a car and he lost his leg and had to go into surgery to save his life. A 17 year old girl was driving @ 40 mph. I have no idea if she was texting, talking or anything else. It just made me realize that in a split second you can change your life or take another.

I’ve made the decision to not be a distracted driver.  I am done deceiving myself thinking that I am a better driver then everyone else.

Studies show that:

• Texting is MUCH worse then driving drunk
• Crash risk is 4 times more likely while texting
• Using a hands free is still dangerous
• Both hand-held and hands-free devices increase driver reaction time and are equally as dangerous.

Please do a little research. You can go here, here or here.

What this decision means for me:

• I will not put makeup on while driving
• I will not eat in my car – if on long trips I will stop and eat there
• I will not read email messages or Facebook status updates
• I will program my GPS before I start my vehicle
• I will not reach for something on the passenger floorboard
• I will turn off my phone
• I will keep my phone in my purse out of my reach

I know this will be inconvenient and hard at first. I will adjust and in a few weeks it will be habit and I won’t remember that I did it any other way.

The thought of me being responsible for killing someone or hurting someone so much that their life changes completely is something I don’t think I could live with. Nothing is worth that chance!

So to all my friends who text and call me and need things from me… I will get back to you when I get to my final destination.

Things go through my mind as I make this decision… What if there is an emergency? What if there is a change of plans and I need to drive another several miles to get to where I was going? What if my friend goes into labor? What if, what if, what if! I think of so many things that could happen or go wrong. But I remember 10 years ago I didn’t have a cell phone and I lived.

It’s important to:

• Silence your phone before you begin your drive
• Set up a voice mail message that explains you’re on the road, practicing safety to protect yourself and fellow drivers
• Stop texting while driving. Research shows drivers who text are 8 to 23 times as likely to be involved in a collision
• Pull over and park if a call is absolutely necessary
• Encourage your friends and family to leave their phones out of reach while driving

Driving is a privilege, but it also gives you an enormous amount of responsibility. One that I have decided to take very seriously!

I hope you’ll join me! Now I am off to change my voicemail!

Blessings to you!