When you drive a car, you propel a very heavy piece of metal at times at very high speeds.  This is arguably the most dangerous activity which you do in your life-not only dangerous for you but also for others .

In years past the dangers of drinking and driving have been well publicized, yet people still drink and drive.

Over 30,000 persons are killed each year in this country and drinking remains a major problem. And now with the all pervasive cellphone, distracted driving has become yet another cause of preventable deaths and injuries. .

Cellphones seem to be attached permanently to many of us. We text uninteresting details of every bit of our lives; we walk along our streets, eyes not focused on traffic or others, but rather glued to a compact electrical device; we no longer know how to communicate for more than a few words at a time. And now, afraid to spend any time off our masters the cell phone, we keep it up while driving.

Distracted driving causes about 1/5 of all injuries including over 3,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries every year. You simply cannot operate a car and look down at your small cellphone screen at the same time. A second or two may not seem long but it is long enough to cause a fatal mistake while driving.

Hands free ear phones work reasonably well, but you still are doing two things at once-ie driving and talking- which may increase your risk of bad outcomes.

Perhaps the best way of looking at the situation is to create a tech free zone within your car-at least for the driver. If you need to access Mapquest, Yelp or find out how the Kardashians are doing, maybe just wait or stop the car on the side of the road. Same goes for texting your friend about your awful lunch date. Listen to some blues or jazz and enjoy the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

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