Monday, June 4, 2012

Don't Text While Driving

PLEASE don't text while driving. OMG !! I'm sure many of you have heard of the train crash that occurred last week in California. Reportedly the conductor was text-messaging when he blew through the red light, which resulted in the crash. Twenty-five (25) people died, and many other people were seriously hurt. The worst train crash in California history. You may be wondering what this has to do with mental health. Well, as a mental health expert, I can tell you that it is bad for you (and your family) if you die or get hurt in an accident because you weren't paying complete attention while you were driving. And it's not just texting. Too many people are talking on the phone, or doing other things that distract them and are causing accidents. Now I'm not too old-fashioned. I know how important it is to have those phone conversations while driving around town; or eat that slice of pizza; or check the Internet on your laptop (or I-phone!). But you gotta keep at least one hand on the wheel and one eye on the road.


I am all in favor of multi-tasking. I think people don't realize that driving itself requires multi-tasking, though after a while it seems to become something that you can almost do without thinking. Too many people do that. And then you throw in there other activities that do require your attention, and before you know it someone else makes a mistake that requires your attention and quick reflexes and it's OVA. My suggestion when you have something else to do when you're driving, is to pull over to the side of the road, stop the car, and do what you gotta do. That would be safer for you and me. Now if you get a text that you have to answer (of course if it was an emergency they would have called!), pull over and quickly text them: IDN (I'm driving now) TTYL!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great Advice...I'm going to lead by example and NOT text anymore while driving and let my teens know that I no longer TWD! Thanks :-)
Theresa