Long before I even got to college it was drummed into me – don’t drink and drive. Fair enough, I thought. What’s the point in killing myself or someone else if I can just take a taxi or take turns is being the designated driver with my friends.
I have heard the sad stories of college kids partying and then getting behind the wheel and killing their best friend. I knew a girl who had lost friends this way – they were all in a Jeep and the driver was drunk. She was the only one that survived the crash and the only mark she has on her body today is the names of the friends she lost tattooed on her wrist.
But there is something else out there killing college kids when they are behind the wheel. It is the cell phone.
There really is no text, tweet, update, like, or whatever you want to do on your phone that is worth dying for.
It takes a split second to be distracted when behind the wheel and that’s all it takes for a devastating accident to occur.
A quick Google search “killed while texting” returns with pages of news stories all around the world of young people dying in this senseless way.
And I don’t want to say that it is only college kids and young people who do it, it is almost everyone you see stopped at the traffic lights or driving by. Make sure you give those drivers a wide berth!
If sending a message on your phone is of paramount importance, it is always best to find a safe spot and pull over before reaching for your phone.
And if you see your friends doing it just tell them to do a quick Google search about it. I have said in previous articles that friends can save friends lives and that it is important to offer advice when you see a friend doing something that may cause harm to themselves.
If they laugh it off and say you are being silly and that would never happen to them, tell them how much you value their friendship and that you couldn’t imagine life without them. You never know, it may make them think twice next time they reach for their phone while driving.
We all know that talking while driving also causes some distractions when behind the wheel. Look into getting a Bluetooth device or setting up a Bluetooth connection through your car radio. I have one in my car and while you should avoid talking while driving when possible, it is a lot better than scrambling through a bag or backpack on the passenger’s seat to reach the phone.
So stay safe out their on the roads and remember you have a long life ahead of you and lots of fun times once you graduate – no text is worth dying for.
