How to Avoid Texting While Driving

In view of the rapid increase in fatal accidents due to cell phone usage, many may wonder whether text messaging is advantageous or dangerous. The answer depends on when the activity takes place. A text message can help you obtain important information in a matter of seconds. The advantages can range from saving you a trip back home, if you forget what you were suppose to pick up from the store, to saving your life if you were to find yourself in a dangerous situation.

However, when practiced at an inopportune time, such as driving, text messaging can have tragic consequences and even result in loss of lives. In view of all this, it’s important to avoid text messaging while you’re behind the wheel and to make safe driving your primary concern. Here are some suggestions on how you too can avoid text messaging while you drive.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Exercise self-control when it comes to text messaging. Wait to send a text message or to respond to one until you arrive at your destination or you can pull over. Inform your friends that you will not respond to messages while driving.

2. Value your own life as well as the life of others around you. The action of text messaging while driving shows disrespect for the gift of life. Drivers that send text messages while they drive put themselves in danger and endanger other drivers on the road.

3. Consider the consequences of text messaging while driving. An accident can occur when you least expect it. The one second you look down to send or respond to a text message could be the one second that could save your life or prevent an accident. Additionally, you could experience legal repercussions—even end up in jail—if you were to cause a serious accident and hurt someone due to text messaging distractions.

4. Take into account the fact that you could lose an insurance claim if cell phone-usage distractions were to lead you to cause a serious accident.

Tips & Warnings

• One benefit of avoiding text messaging while you drive is that you can have a clean conscious and peace of mind knowing that you’re not responsible for taking anyone’s life.
• Parents of teen-age drivers need to enforce a no cell phone-usage law and set the example.

Resources

• SADD