We’ve all heard it, read about it and most of us have seen the words posted on the highway signs as we pass by. Don’t Text & Drive. Considering how much time I spend on the road, I wanted to share my thoughts on the whole texting, holding the phone while talking on speaker and surfing the web as we drive down the road at 70 mph generation. 

To say, “don’t do it” is one thing. To stop and think about how little time it takes for something to happen is another. Take it from a girl who travels constantly, like 10 months out of the year, most of that on the road, in a vehicle, driving herself. I should probably say that the vehicle of choice is not your standard SUV, but more often than not, I find myself responsible for a truck, trailer or  bus. That’s about 40,000 lbs or 20 tons of metal in most cases. Let me help to put that into perspective, an average sized elephant weighs 4 tons. For good visual purposes that is the weight of 5 elephants screaming down the road. Needless to say, making abrupt stops when they are cut off is a major challenge!!

Here’s some staggering facts about texting. Did you know that while driving  it is comparable to:

– Drinking (4) beers and then getting behind the wheel — woah! (Thank you NATL. Hwy Transportation Admin)

– About 6 times more likely to cause an accident than being intoxicated.

• FIVE, yep, 5 seconds is  the minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you’re texting & driving. IF you are driving at 55 MPH, this equals the length of a football field, without looking up, once!

• Your risk of crash increases by 1.3x when talking or listening, 1.4x when reaching for something, 2.8x when dialing and…23x when texting. Twenty – Three times more likely to crash!
• Let’s be real, it is not just teens that text and drive, adults are guilty too!

Moral of the story, it can wait, your life and the other lives you impact are wayyy more important than answering that text. Five seconds, the blink of an eye, that’s all it takes.

In the meantime, if you are looking for a great Bluetooth and soooo over all of the static noise in the background, check out the Blue Parrot B250 Headset. Do I often get asked if I am on my way to lead a work – out class, why yes, do I wear it in public when just running errands, why yes. But, I don’t care how it looks, it works amazing, everyone tells me it is SO quiet (and I am in a bus!!) and best part of all, it is safe for when I do have make & take calls.  Texting can still wait.

Stay safe, my friends! And please, the next time you want to swerve in front of that bus or goose-neck trailer, please think about the small herd of elephants that just may kiss you from behind. Thanks in advance! 😉

xoxo

~ Renee