Don't use phone while driving!
Few weeks back our car was rear-ended - a teenage driver crashed into our car at 45 mph while my wife was waiting at the red signal, on her way to pickup our 6 year old daughter from school. Luckily, no one was hurt, though our car had moderate damage and his car was totaled. We were quite glad that the accident did not happen after my wife picked up my daughter. This teenager, who got his driving license only a week back, did not apply brakes at all. It was as if he never noticed the red light or the car before him. He claimed that his brakes failed but we know the real reason for his accident - he was distracted by his mobile phone.
A day after the accident, a friend forwarded a video on Whatsapp which showed a heart rending news item of an entire family (mom & 3 children) being wiped out by a distracted truck driver.
The camera inside the truck captured the driver changing music on his smart phone and he did not notice the traffic halted on the freeway. It all happened in seconds. I ask everyone to watch this painful video because the message is extremely important.
Most of us (including me) are guilty of using phone while driving to change music or search for a location in maps. We think it is all right, that things are in control, that we are safe drivers etc. And we often talk over phone or attend business meetings while driving. We use hands-free and so we think it is safe. But studies repeatedly show that even talking over hands-free is distractive. Remember, it just takes 1-2 seconds to make a mistake. And the mistake can be made by others too and if we are attentive enough, we may have a chance to escape from their driving mistakes.
So do yourself a favor. Do not use your phone at all while driving. It is best to not even take hands-free calls. Make a rule to touch phone only when the car is completely stopped. You may be saving yourself, your family and someone else's family too! After our experience with the teenage driver, I decided to do it myself strictly. Our phones can wait, our life can wait while we are driving.
A day after the accident, a friend forwarded a video on Whatsapp which showed a heart rending news item of an entire family (mom & 3 children) being wiped out by a distracted truck driver.
The camera inside the truck captured the driver changing music on his smart phone and he did not notice the traffic halted on the freeway. It all happened in seconds. I ask everyone to watch this painful video because the message is extremely important.
Most of us (including me) are guilty of using phone while driving to change music or search for a location in maps. We think it is all right, that things are in control, that we are safe drivers etc. And we often talk over phone or attend business meetings while driving. We use hands-free and so we think it is safe. But studies repeatedly show that even talking over hands-free is distractive. Remember, it just takes 1-2 seconds to make a mistake. And the mistake can be made by others too and if we are attentive enough, we may have a chance to escape from their driving mistakes.
So do yourself a favor. Do not use your phone at all while driving. It is best to not even take hands-free calls. Make a rule to touch phone only when the car is completely stopped. You may be saving yourself, your family and someone else's family too! After our experience with the teenage driver, I decided to do it myself strictly. Our phones can wait, our life can wait while we are driving.
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