Editorial: Life is worth more than a text message
The Olympian strongly opposes texting while driving. It is an unsafe action and the consequences it can cause are never worth the risks.
There is no text message or phone call that is important enough to risk a life over, especially when there are other options. If there is a message or call that may be important, there is always the option of safely pulling over to check the phone.
Texting while driving is a dangerous trend that needs to be stopped before it causes even more deaths and injuries. When a driver makes the decision to text and drive, that not only puts that driver in danger but many other as well.
The Olympian knows that texting can be an addicting thing and may seem like no big deal, but in reality, every second that someone looks away from the road is another second that lives are at risk.
An average of four percent of all drivers use their cell phones when they are driving. This may seem like no big deal because it is only four out of every 100 people. However, when that number is multiplied by all the drivers out there, that can amount to a large number of people. CVHS has almost 3,000 students and if all of them were able to drive, there would be around 120 people on their phones while driving and 120 people who could seriously injure or kill themselves or others.
Although the consequences of texting and driving seem like no big deal to most people, The Olympian asks readers what they are really risking. Sure, the fine only amounts to a little over $100. However, what if a boy got into a car accident because of it? If he injured both himself and another driver, he would have to pay hospital bills and cover the damage of the cars which could amount to over $50,000 in bills and expenses. If the other driver were killed? The boy could end up in jail for manslaughter for the rest of his life. If he died? He would not only be losing his life, but would cause everyone that knew and love him emotional trauma and pain all because he had to see what someone said and didn’t pull off the road.
Of course, many people think that the risk of these scenarios is low because of the statistics that have been tested. According the California Highway Patrol, the statistics of how many crashes and injuries caused due to being on the phone and driving are misleading. No one ever admits to being on the phone and causing accidents. However, in many cases crashes could have been avoided if people were willing to put their phones away.
The Olympian asks drivers to please put cell phones away while driving. If it is absolutely necessary to take a call or check a text, pull over. This could not only save the life of the driver, but also the lives of many others.
For more information about this issue, visit www.keepthedrive.com.
I think this article does a really good job on nailing the effects and damages of texting. It is essentially for everyone teenagers and adults to understand how critical it is to completely focus while driving. Lives are lost, and people need to understand that it is not something that can be played around with.
Also keep in mind that for every 6 seconds a driver spends texting, 4.6 of those seconds are with their eyes off the road, which makes texting the most dangerous cell phone activity anyone can engage in while operating a 5,000 pound piece of steel and glass. This activity produces 6,000 highway deaths a year and that number is rising. If technology is going to help, it should get the driver’s eyes back on the road where they belong.
I decided to do something about it after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me by a texting driver last fall. Instead of an expensive shackle that locks down phones and alienates the user (especially teens) I built a tool called OTTER that is a simple GPS based, texting auto reply app for smartphones. It’s an easy way to manage that text and drive temptation.
Erik Wood, owner
OTTER LLC