How many times have we said or done something stupid. I know I have had plenty of mistakes that could have turned out much worse than they did. By now, you’ve probably been hearing about the deadly consequences of texting and driving  for at least a year or two. Stories of accidents, near accidents, injuries and deaths are in the headlines almost daily. I was watching this video on wimp.com about two vehicles on a road. it wasn’t necessarily about texting, but could have been any one of us driving. And what a simple mistake could cost someone. Here is the link!

There are many mistakes that may not affect others and then you have some that could devastate many people. The kind I’m thinking about is those who drive drunk, impaired or not paying attention.

When I was younger, there was so many stupid things we did and how we lived to tell is beyond me. We would go out to the dry lakes in Willcox, AZ and hang onto the hood of the truck, on the outside. While we were holding on, we would be doing donuts while trying to not fall off the truck as it was going around in circles at pretty high speeds. There were a few friends who got killed doing this when they fell off the truck and got run over by the vehicle or the vehicle flipped over while standing in the back of the truck while trying to keep our feet planted to the floor of the truck.

We never should have been doing this, but at our age, we didn’t realize what could go wrong and how stupid we really were. After one of my friends died, I never did it again. But that is because it became real to me. I seen first hand what could happen. I often wonder if that is why kids and adults text, drink and drive and try to beat a train/vehicle or whatever else. They don’t see that it can happen to them because they have never been affected by it. It wasn’t real and they see it as just talk and empty warnings.

 

I honestly don’t think a driver gets into a car with the intention of hurting or killing anyone. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. There is this family  the Nevels that I have been following for a very long time on Facebook. They were hit by a drunk driver on Thanksgiving. The mother was killed, and the daughter Lauren was in the hospital for many months. She now has a brain injury and had to have some toes removed. Her life and her families life will forever be changed because of a drunk driver. Not only was this families life affected, but also the drivers life and his family.

While I was watching the video it got me thinking about how many times I drive when I shouldn’t. Or when my husband and I are driving. He thinks he has enough time and I don’t. We are seeing things from two separate points of views. When he decides to go, it always panics me. He usually makes it across, but one day cutting it close may be the time when close wasn’t good enough.

Here in St. George the police have started to video tape drivers that are distracted by texting and in other ways. They are posting their pictures on their website. The information  and logo below is from their website.

Heads Up Thumbs Up is a effort from the St. George Police Department addressing the top behaviors that are injuring or killing people on America’s roads. This includes behaviors such as texting while driving, using social media apps, drowsy driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and impaired driving. When you are driving with your head up and your thumbs up, you are paying attention to what is happening around you when driving.

They also have it where you can take a pledge to not text and drive. There are many other ways that drivers can get distracted and cause accident by making stupid mistakes.

National Cell Phone and Driving Statistics

• About 660,000 drivers use cell phones at any given time during daylight hours in the United States.
• Texting while driving makes a driver 23x more likely to crash.
• Drivers talking on a cell phone are 4x more likely to have a car accident.
• Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70 year old.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• 94% of drivers support bans on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support bans on hand-held cell phone use.

OK! For now I’m done doing this topic of driving impaired. Well, almost done 🙂

Don’t Drink and Drive or Text and Drive