IS YOUR CAR A PHONE BOOTH?
HELP SAVE 6.000 LIVES YEARLY ... 
I publicly admit ... I am as guilty as many others. When I get into my car my first thought is, "Who can I call? I can save time and be more efficient if I make that call right now!" Not anymore ... my car is no longer my phone booth. Oprah Winfrey aired a program last week that was a much needed "wake-up" call for me and I hope for many others.
She interviewed one drunk distracted driver (just as guilty!) who had killed two others when he was texting while driving. He was 18 at the time and said that he used to text while driving 100% of the time - as did most of his friends!! He's 23 now, looks 43, and his life is consumed with guilt and shame. The widow of one of the men he killed and the daughter of another were on the show, too. Two lives tragically lost while the young man was distracted for a few seconds ... heart-wrenching to see. And this was just one of the 6,000 similar stories that unfolded last year.
CHILLING, SOBERING, & DISGUSTING STATISTICS:
- 6,000 lives were lost last year due to "distracted drivers"
- A driver is 8 times more likely to have an accident if driving while texting!
- A driver is 4 times more likely to have an accident if driving while speaking on a telephone!
Oprah's show is a MUST for everyone to see - send it to your loved ones - let's start a new "culture" of safe driving!
www.DriveSafe.ly. com is a great program (FREE!) that will "give voice" to your texts and emails if you MUST know about an email immediately! So, when you're driving, you'll never have to look at your phone again! You'll HEAR your messages without doing anything! And, the system will automatically send a reply email. It's easy to turn off and on, so you can just use it when necessary.
SO, WHO WILL TAKE THE PLEDGE TO ELIMINATE TEXTING & PHONING WHILE DRIVING?
410-707-1840 Sue@BrazzelDazzle.com 443-745-4406 Dipper@BrazzelDazzle.com
http://localism.com/neighbor/suebrazzel
Sue-This is such a great reminder of the awesome power of the car and what damage can be done by distracted drivers. Some of us find it tough enough to drive when not distracted, just add the few seconds of inattentiveness to a 2,000 pound vehicle, travelling at 50 mph and you have the potential to mess up a lot of people's lives.
Sue,
I remember when I had to find a phone booth or pay phone near the road, pull off and call someone who may have paged me... ah, the good old days. I was in my office a couple of months ago talking with an agent who was on her phone while driving when she suddenly dropped her phone and it cut off our conversation. She didn't call back for a while but when she did she admitted she dropped the phone because she rear-ended another car. The thought had gone through my mind when it happened but hearing her tell me about it shook me up a bit. Would anyone go so far as to refuse to talk to others if you knew they were driving? Just a thought. Thanks for sharing.
Wayne, That was another graphic that they aired on the Oprah show ... how far a car can travel for the few seconds someone is texting ... very scary!
Trent,
Since seeing that show, I will refuse to speak with someone who is driving - or make the call very quick!!
Sue
My friend just was in an accident while she was on the phone with me!! If I want to talk to her, I send her a text... call me when you are not driving!
We have voice activated Blue Tooth in our Truck through the sound system. We activated it and do more dialing , etc. Push an answer button on steering wheel and it answers phone. Trying to do less business in car. Very good points!
Sue - this is one of those facts you know is not going to be good. Hard to believe.
As much as I like to stay current while driving, I've switched over to my hands-free bluetooth in my car and cut back dramatically.
Driving while texting should be banned. Nothing is important enough to try and type on a little smart phone while you drive a 2k vehicle.
Lori - you're being a great friend ... share that drivesafe.ly website with her and be an even BETTER one! She won't have to look at her phone to read your text!
Nick, I have hands-free also, but I now realize I just cannot be 2 "places" at once. I need to be driving, not having conversations!
Brian, I agree that texting while driving should be banned ... it actually is in Maryland, but I see it all the time.
Thanks for sharing. It's a great reminder for us out their on the road from day to day
Harpers,
Yes ... let's try to keep those statistics in mind.
As far as banning texting while driving???? It can't be any worse than many of the people I see talking on their phones (of course I'm sure they are all surgeons providing life saving instructions....(humor)).
Hi Judd,
I don't text either ... but the fact is that you are EIGHT times more likely to be in an accident if you do!
It is against the law to text here in Virginia just like in Maryland. And in Washington DC you MUST be hands-free to talk on the phone. Many phones now can do voice activated dailing, which is all the better with a Bluetooth.
I do agree that taling on the phone, regardless if it's a client or my children, is very distracting. Sometimes I'm amazed I even made it home, since I can't remember the drive I just made because I was involved in a conversation.
On the other hand, it's not too much different than being a mom with noisy kids in the car. The stats for accidents for moms with kids in the car is also quite high. Heaven help me if I'm ever having a conversation with my Bluetooth while my kids are in the car, too!!
Monica,
I know what you mean about arriving at your destination and not remembering the drive! Scary!