The Dark Side of Social Media
Social media has a dark side: It’s addictive. Addictive to the point where people standing next to each other text one another as opposed to making eye contact and having a voice-to-voice conversation.
Addictive to the point where people text, answer e-mails, or surf the Internet while steering their vehicle down the highway.
We know the facts:
- A driver who is texting is as impaired as a driver with a .16 blood alcohol level (Car and Driver magazine June 2009 test).
- Drivers talking on cell phones are half a second slower to hit the brakes in emergencies and miss more than half the visual cues seen by attentive drivers.
- More than 20 percent of all traffic accidents are caused by driver distraction.
But the majority of drivers I see on the road are so addicted to their cell phones – or they have such an inflated sense of their self-importance – that they ignore the statistical evidence and continue to chat and/or text while driving.
Thankfully, nine states have banned driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone:
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
In Washington State, where I live, talking or texting on a cell phone without using a hands-free device is a primary offense – if an officer spots you with cellphone-to-ear, they can pull you over and fine you $124. And new drivers with instruction permits or intermediate licenses aren’t permitted to use wireless devices at all, except in emergencies.
Thirty states and the District of Columbia ban text messaging for all drivers. On the map below, states colored green ban texting while driving; blue states have a partial ban, and pink states have no ban.
I encourage you to watch this short, painful video and ask yourself:
Is making that call or sending that text while I’m driving really worth sacrificing my life – or someone else’s life?
Sources:
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- “Action for Distraction,” USAA Magazine, Fall 2010, p. 11
- Washington State Department of Licensing
Thanks for this very pertinent reminder and warning.
Thanks for this very pertinent reminder and warning.
I live in California and, even though they could get tickets, I often see people driving with cell phones held to their ears.
I live in California and, even though they could get tickets, I often see people driving with cell phones held to their ears.
I am saddened again today — last night, the news reported that a 17-year-old — who was “distracted” (talking on her cell phone while driving) — hit a 2-year-old and her mom who were crossing the street in a crosswalk in front of a school. The toddler was killed, and the teen driver was arrested for vehicular homicide. Two families’ lives ruined in 1 second.
I am saddened again today — last night, the news reported that a 17-year-old — who was “distracted” (talking on her cell phone while driving) — hit a 2-year-old and her mom who were crossing the street in a crosswalk in front of a school. The toddler was killed, and the teen driver was arrested for vehicular homicide. Two families’ lives ruined in 1 second.