Summer is a time for hanging out with friends, going to the beach, working and road tripping. What do these statements all have in common? If you guessed transportation, you are right. After eight months of the Link shuttling us around, we actually have to start driving ourselves. You might be a little rusty at first, but you get the hang of it after a while. You turn on the car, you fill it up with gas once in a while and you text while driving? This is a big NO.
This summer, while driving around to my destinations, I saw people on the road talking while driving and, luckily, just a few texting. Any driver can tell you people who talk on their phones are usually driving slower, changing their speed or not following the rules of the road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 16 percent of fatal crashes happen because of distracted drivers (www.texting-while-driving.org).
Did you know your chances of being in an accident increase 20 times if you are texting while driving (www.pcmag.com)? Let me say that again, you are 20 times more likely to get in a crash. Imagine a horrific crash you have seen on the side of the road or on the news.
Think of family members, friends, roommates or yourself being in that accident. This happened because you couldn’t wait a couple
minutes to send or receive a silly text message? You are putting your social life above the lives of others? You sound like a great person to be next to on the road.
Texting and driving has now become a big issue in America. In the United States, Minnesota and 29 other states — including D.C. and Guam — have banned drivers from texting while driving. Minnesota passed this law Aug. 1, 2008.
Oprah recently started her campaign called the “No Phone Zone”. Over 38,9126 people have pledged to not text while driving, only drive and use a handheld phone or not use their phone at all when driving. Go to her Website and you can read stories of people losing their loved ones to texting and driving.
I challenge you not to use your cell phone while driving. No texting, no e-mailing, no talking. I know your friends are important and you want to be entertained while on a boring drive, but just drive to relax. You are putting yourself and others in the safest situation when on the road.
This is the opinion of Alison Tsuchiya, a CSB junior.