“It Can Wait” – Don’t Text and Drive Reminder

I opened my phone bill and a piece of paper fell out that caught my eye. “People who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.”

What a good reminder this is in the middle of such a busy season. I never text and drive, but have to admit, it’s very tempting on a busy day. I was amazed to learn that one million people still text and chat while driving each day. After all the education we’ve had about the danger of taking your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel, people still do it.

Aside from it’s danger potential, texting while driving is illegal in Washington. It’s also illegal to use your cell phone without a hands-free device. The State Patrol says they see people trying to hide their texting, but it’s easy to spot texting drivers. The average text takes a driver’s eye off the road for nearly five seconds, and when traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field.

The “It Can Wait” campaign by AT&T talks about how we live in a world where multitasking is the norm, but this norm in no way justifies texting and driving at the same time. The campaign message boldly states that texting while driving isn’t multitasking, it’s essentially driving blind.

Here’s to safe driving for everyone!