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Don't Do It...Evah!

Please Never Text and Drive...
...Distracted Drivers Are As Deadly As Drunk Drivers!

Other distracting activities include:

Using a cell phone
Eating and drinking
Talking to passengers
Grooming
Reading, including maps
Using a PDA or navigation system
Watching a video
Changing the radio station, CD, or Mp3 player.

Did You Know?
Research on distracted driving reveals some surprising facts:

In 2008, slightly more than almost 20 percent of all crashes in the year involved some type of distraction. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - NHTSA).

Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)

The younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)

(The above facts were copied from the Official US Government Website For Distracted Driving.
Please visit the site today: DISTRACTION.gov  )

I have a steadfast rule in my car: NO CELL PHONE USAGE. I won't answer a call, not even with a blue tooth accessory. I won't read or respond to a text message. If my kids are in the car with me, and if it's appropriate, I ask them to type a text I dictate, or answer the phone. Otherwise, I wait until I'm parked, engine off, to use my phone.

My cell phone voice mail message is: "Hello! I'm either away from my phone or driving the car, but I'll call you back as soon as possible. Until then, have a great day!" Of course, I worry that someone may take me for a snooty Oprah-wannabe. But if that message-leaver is a friend or family member I love, making the call from her car, and she is reminded not to risk her life or the lives of others by driving distractedly, then I don't care if labels are cast on me.

Some things are worth that climb atop the soap box

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