Many of us are probably guilty of talking on our cell phones or texting while being behind the wheel. Did you know that talking on the cell phone is now equal to drunk driving, and when you add texting to that equation it only increases the likely hood of disaster. Sure we all know it can be dangerous but perhaps we’ve never been directly affected by the traumatic effects that this action can cause. So we risk it anyway. Maybe we just don’t know the exact numbers, such as distracted driving kills 6,000 people a year and injures another 500,000. Looking at it from that angle it seems beyond stupid to risk losing your life just to respond to a text when someone ask you nothing more than “what are you doing?”
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” just held this as a platform to create and build awareness. Oprah invited drivers to observe a national “No Phone Zone Day” today and to make every car a “No Phone Zone.” Winfrey plan was to devote her show to raising awareness about the widespread problem, and communities from around the country will be held live viewing events that include Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told ABC News he’s “proud” to participate in Winfrey’s initiative. “We know that if we can get people to put away cell phones and other electronic devices when they are behind the wheel, we can save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds and thousands of injuries every year,” LaHood said in a statement. Drivers who talk or text have much slower response times than those who don’t, and they have slower reaction times than drivers whose blood-alcohol levels are 0.06, studies show.
“My biggest hope for the No Phone Zone campaign is that it becomes mandatory that no one uses their phone in the car or texts while driving — just as seat belts are mandatory, just as driving while drunk is considered absolutely taboo,” Ms. Winfrey said in a statement. “I’m hoping that this becomes not just law, but second nature for all of us. I think that this is a great campaign but do you think that it can really work and how many of you are prepared to adapt your personal habits in the name of personal safety?
