In November of 2009, Alex Brown, a 17 year old from Wellman Texas, was killed, not by a car, but by a simple text message. She lost control of her truck when she was texting and driving. A couple of weeks before the car accident, she had over 10,000 text messages. Her mother, Mrs. Brown, who teaches at the same school, heard that Alex had not made it to school yet. Scared, her mom called her phone and she did not answer. Her mom went looking for her and found her in the grass next to what once was her truck. Her truck had rolled over after she had flown out through the passenger’s side window.
Her mom called 911 hoping and praying that her daughter was going to be able to make it through. Hours passed by before the family finally had to say goodbye. From that day on, the family decided to make a foundation called Remember Alex Brown Foundation. Her parents go from state to state building awareness of the danger of texting and driving. Her parents display her beat up truck on a trailer to show teen just how bad texting and driving can truly be. The Brown’s also promote a device called “Get Home Safe.” This device is programmed to block all texts while the vehicle is operating. The device will also send a text to the parents if the device is being tampered with, the device costs $99, but is worth having to save your life and possibly the lives of others.
Is answering a text worth risking your life or someone else’s? We all know what consequences can occur when we are texting and driving, yet we still keep on texting when we’re behind the wheel. According to the “Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics” on www.edgarsnyder.com, the age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers is the twenty and under age group. Sixteen percent of all drivers younger than twenty are involved in fatal crashes. Over 90 percent of teens admit to doing multiple tasks while driving, such as talking on the cell phone, texting, eating, playing loud music, using mp3 players, and interacting with friends in the car. The teens polled admit texting diverts their attention, but they keep on doing it.
Should we be surprised that teens are texting while driving? Part of the problem is that some adults are not setting the example of safe driving. According to txtndrvie.com, “More adults than teens are texting while driving.” Forty-seven percent of texting adults admitted to having sent or read a text message while driving compared to 34 percent for teen drivers who admitted the same. “It is just as hard for adults as it is for teens to resist chatting with their friends sending off that quick text even in the midst of heavy traffic,” Lee Rainie says to the reporter. Lee Rainie believes that the adults are concerned about their teen’s texting behind the wheel but, before they deal with their children problems, they should focus on setting a good example.
Drivers who text behind the wheel are 23 times more likely to crash than a non-distracted driver. One of the most surprising facts is that this activity is more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. In his article “Texting while driving statistics” on Buzzle.com, Abhijit Naik reveals that a person who is texting while driving at the speed of 35 mph will cover 25ft before bringing the car to complete halt as compared to a distance of 4ft which a drunk driver would cover at the same speed. While texting and driving, the crash can take place in just about 2-3 seconds, with the driver’s reaction time being reduced substantially.
Each year 2,600 people die while using cell phones while driving. As a result, almost 28 states have banned texting while behind the wheel. Seven states prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving, such as California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. The Federal government prohibits the usage of cell phones on any official business or while using government-supplied equipment.
For the safety of the road and for our, or others ,lives, we should all think before we text while driving. Many places in the United States are teaching about the safety of driving. The Alex Brown Foundation helps in this effort by showing the teens at school what can happen while texting while driving. Also, Keepthedrive.com is having high school journalism classes write an article about statistics and facts about the dangers of texting while driving. Keepthedrive.com is awarding the winning high school journalism class up to 2,000 dollars, 2nd place 1,000 dollars, and third place 750 dollars. These are the types of leadership and initiative that we need to make us more aware of the dangers involved when we are distracted by our cell phones behind the wheel. Perhaps, with this awareness, we can save lives in the future.
No one wants to go through the pain of seeing their loved one’s dead body or crashed car due to texting behind the wheel. We need to educate teens and adults about how hazardous texting while driving is. One thing we could do to stop texting while driving for both adults and teens is have a national week developed to, showing cars, and photos and videos about real situations that have occurred or can occur while you’re distracted on your phone. All these events could be part of a rally that concludes with a pledge to not text while behind the wheel
Parents should also sit down with their teens to talk about the safety issues on the road, they should tell their teens how texting while driving is the number one high factor for deaths in the United States. We should frightening drivers to make them think twice before they take their eyes off the road and put their minds on their phone. If your phone rings, pull over and take your texts and phone calls off the street while driving. A text message and a phone call can wait because it is either your life or another person’s life when you put your thumbs to work on a cell phone while driving. The more we are aware of the danger, the more people will listen. Together we can do it because not one person can change habit.
