Did you know?
About 3 years ago I saw an episode of Mythbusters about talking on your cell phone while driving. The myth they were trying to bust was that talking on your cell phone was equivalent to driving drunk. They did a series of tests and actually confirmed the myth. I was really surprised! For a while, I limited my cell phone conversations to a bare minimum while driving. Then I not-so-slowly picked up the habit again. It's just so convenient, right?
But, just the other night I saw a news segment about the same thing. An injury lawyer was speaking about the risk of driving while talking on the cell phone. He said you are 4 times more likely to have an injury causing crash while talking on the phone. He made a good point. You would never get on an airplane that was 4 times more likely to crash or eat food that was 4 times more likely to make you sick. So, it doesn't make sense to talk on the phone while driving. He also stated that is was the same as driving drunk. What really got me was when he said, "Is calling to see what's for dinner so important that you would take the risk of injuring a mother or a small child in the car next to you?" I thought, "Hey, that mother and small child could be us. "
I think I'll put my phone down while I drive, now. How 'bout you?
Here's a link to one article about it:
http://www.newsdial.com/technology/communication/cell-phone-statistics.html
But, just the other night I saw a news segment about the same thing. An injury lawyer was speaking about the risk of driving while talking on the cell phone. He said you are 4 times more likely to have an injury causing crash while talking on the phone. He made a good point. You would never get on an airplane that was 4 times more likely to crash or eat food that was 4 times more likely to make you sick. So, it doesn't make sense to talk on the phone while driving. He also stated that is was the same as driving drunk. What really got me was when he said, "Is calling to see what's for dinner so important that you would take the risk of injuring a mother or a small child in the car next to you?" I thought, "Hey, that mother and small child could be us. "
I think I'll put my phone down while I drive, now. How 'bout you?
Here's a link to one article about it:
http://www.newsdial.com/technology/communication/cell-phone-statistics.html
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Thanks for sharing this. I was at the 'to a minimum' point, but I'm rethinking that. I know we've had some near misses where someone almost hit us because they were talking on their phone, and usually they don't even realize we avoided the accident! -
thanks for the warning, babe. -
babe? You have NEVER called me babe! :) -
actually, its illegal here, but I think that your motivation is more noble than my desire to not be fined $100! -
Believe it or not, YOU, more than any other person, entered my mind when I posted it. I just kept thinking, "Man, I bet Steph will LOVE THIS, and will CRACK UP when she sees it!" My instincts were right! -
WOW, that is scary. I need to stop using the cell phone while driving too. -
that's some serious attention-getting info. Thank you for that!!! -
I cannot stand to see it happening ppl on the phone--can it not wait? I have issue with ppl thinking thier convo is more important then thier life or mine. If it is that important just pull off the side of the road. Almost every time I am in a close call---they are always on thier phone. I have fear of driving anyway so this really bothers me and any distraction just makes me fear it more.