Put It Down!

Do you text when you are driving? How would you feel about your children’s school bus driver texting while transporting your kids? What about the loved ones of the person in the car in front of you? Would they be okay with you texting on the road? The best way to save a life with text messaging is to REFRAIN from texting while driving. Texting drivers are even slower to respond quickly in traffic than drunk drivers. Behind the wheel we are responsible for our own lives and the lives of others. Texting takes a driver’s attention away from the road at an average of five seconds. Those five seconds is enough time to travel the length of a football field going 55 mph. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

It’s a common misconception to think, "This won’t happen to me." Texting increases the risk of a crash or near crash by 23 times. There is a risk of this happening to you, or someone you know. So each time you get in your car:

  • Put the phone out of reach, in your purse, glove compartment or back seat.
  • Turn off the text message notifications if you think you’ll be tempted when you hear it.
  • Put it in "Drive Mode", which is an app that automatically sends a customizable reply to an incoming text, notifying the sender that the user is driving and unable to respond. When it comes to texting and driving, both new and experienced drivers should put down the distractions and watch the road.