Take The Pledge Don’t Text and Drive

I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Ambassadors program and have been provided with a wireless device and three months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Verizon has partnered with several other wireless carriers to bring the It Can Wait Campaign. The purpose behind this campaign is to bring awareness to texting and driving, and to let it be known that your life is more important than sending a text message, or checking those emails while you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.

If you feel you must answer the text, or you must check your email, then pull off into a parking lot, and make sure your vehicle is stopped.

Texting and driving kills, if you don’t believe me, look it up on Google.

I will admit, I am very bad at glancing at the phone while driving, however, when I drive now, I have the phone out of hands reach, so that I am not tempted to grab the phone to respond. My life is more important than the text coming in, and if the person on the other end of the text gets mad because I don’t respond right away, then they’ll just have to get over it.

I think it’s important that we adults help educate the teens, and set an example.

Texting and Driving Statistics

Those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a car crash.
• Of all cell phone related tasks while driving- including talking, dialing or reaching for the phone- texting while driving is the most dangerous.
• In 2010, texting while driving increased 50% in one year and 2 out of every 10 drivers say they’ve sent text messages or e-mails while behind the wheel- despite the rush by states to ban the practice.
• When drivers read or send a text message, their reaction time is doubled; and when asked to respond to a flashing light while texting behind the wheel, drivers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the light altogether.

Don’t think texting and driving can lead to death? Neither did Alex the 22 year old college student, who made the mistake to text while driving, which lead to an accident, which took his life. To help get the message out about texting while driving his parents have allowed the police to go public with an image of Alex’s cell phone.

Don’t allow your death to be at the hands of returning a text message, take the It Can Wait pledge, I did. Make sure to let me know once you took the pledge.