At What Cost....?

I'm guilty.  I spend a good portion of my non-work related time in the car - running errands, running kids to activities, living life. Ok, maybe that sounds a little sad - but isn't it true of all of us?  We spend a lot of time in cars - driving from place to place; activity to activity.  It's how we are able to do so much.  Cell phone have made our lives a lot easier in this process.  We can communicate with others and get so much more done...knowing when something will be finished; when someone is ready to be picked up; making appointments on the go; letting others know we might be a little late. We are a community of multi-takers; extreme multi-takers.  It makes us as efficient!  We are living our multitasking, efficient lives.


But at what cost?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/JHixeIr_6BM?rel=0&autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3

"Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America. Drivers who use a hand-held device are 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than drivers that pay attention to the road ahead.  Individuals who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident. " (http://www.drivers.com/article/1173)

Now, put passengers in your car.  Your siblings, your friends, your kids.  Turn on the radio.  Eat your lunch on the go.  Sound familiar?  How much more distracted can we get....

....And at what cost?

Yes, you might be really good at talking to Suri or texting....you might be the fastest of all your friends!  This doesn't mean that you are not distracted.  In young minds, in fact, the part of the brain that needs to be developed to look away from the road for a moment and still be able to drive is not even fully developed.  If you are not worried about your safety, worry about the others in our world that live their lives depending on you to make good choices - the right choices.

Next time you hear your the sound of your cell phone screaming "PICK ME UP NOW" while you cruise down JFK... Ignore the call, text, tweet, notification. Better yet, turn your phone on silent while in the car. Avoid temptation. It can wait.