Your Cell Phone Can Wait
This post has nothing to do with DIY and everything to do with safety; your safety and mine. Recently, Oprah aired a show entitled “America’s New Deadly Obsession” which I had missed. Since it aired, however, she would reference back to this show while encouraging guests and her viewers to sign her “no phone zone” pledge prohibiting cell phone use while driving. Rather than just shaking my head to another unfortunate statistic, I decided to be more conscious about my cell phone use in the car. Although I am not a heavy cell phone user, rarely initiating a conversation while driving and resisted stepping into the texting culture, I didn’t always refrain from reaching for, answering or, at least, looking at the caller ID while driving. No more. I stopped. Just listening to the subsequent updates to the show has changed me. I decided that I wanted to do my part and not be or cause another statistic.
Yesterday, I watched the show even though I had already modified my cell phone use in the car. The statistics are devastating, the despair is unmeasurable and they could have been prevented. Please take a few minutes to watch “America’s New Deadly Obsession”. If you can’t watch the entire show, even the 15 minute clip will cause you to rethink cell phone while driving. And in reference to the hands free argument, as Jennifer who lost her mom said, “it’s not about where your hands are, it’s where your head is.” In grief, she placed a bumper sticker on her car that reads “A Driver Talking On A Cell Phone Killed My Mom”.
As a reminder and to hold myself accountable, I also signed her “no phone zone” pledge because a life, yours or mine can’t be equated with a cell phone call. If you are interested in signing the pledge you can do so here.
Please know that regardless of whether or not we have met personally or cross paths somewhere in the blogoshpere or this post is our only connection, my intentions have nothing to do with judgment (because I too am guilty) and everything to do with your safety, the safety or your family members, friends and fellow drivers. I want to ensure that we, at least, will have the opportunity to cross paths again in the future. Sorry to start the weekend on such a heavy note but it is with care and concern that I write this post.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
And on a lighter note, have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy!
