Please, Stop Texting and Driving

I was sitting at a red light, waiting for the light to turn green. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was headed home. I remember staring out of my window toward the trees thinking about the new week ahead of me when I felt my body lunge forward. My teeth clenched together and my body shifted in the seat.

I hadn’t even realized that I had been in an accident until I felt the car start to roll forward, my foot had moved off of the brake. I threw my car in park and instantly began shaking. Next thing I knew the ambulance arrived and drove me to the hospital. While my accident was minor, there was little damage to the car, the impact to my back and neck was worse than I imagined. I still suffer from back pain to this day, even when performing little activities like washing dishes or carrying something from one room to another.

I often stop to think about how that day last year could have been so much different had the guy behind me not been texting. Had his eyes been focused on the road. Had he been alert enough to have braked sooner.

But, I get it. We all do it. We can’t resist the urge to check our phones. I mean, who knows? It could be something important.

All I can ask is for anybody reading this post to be mindful of the dangers of texting and driving. Even if you hit somebody at a slow speed, it can still cause serious damage to their body. If you can help it, at least wait to check your phone until you’re sitting idle somewhere or use apps on your phone to mute notifications.

No matter what you choose to do, just please, stop texting and driving.