Imagine you are driving home and you get a text. Curious, you want to check to see what the text says. You think to yourself that it will only take a second, and it would not hurt to check just this once. You check your phone and nothing happens immediately forming the idea that just because you did not get into a wreck or drift onto the rumble strip that it is okay to text and drive. 

According to the Huffington Post, 341,000 motor crashes were reported in 2013 that involved texting while driving. “[Nine] Americans [are] killed every day from motor vehicle accidents that involved distracted driving, such as using a cellphone, texting, or eating,” wrote Erin Schumaker of the Huffington Post. 

Knowing those numbers may seem staggering, but you may think that you are careful. You may assume that just because you only do it when there are no cars coming your direction that it will not hurt anyone. But the truth is, according to the Huffington Post, using a cellphone while driving is four times more likely to cause a crash, whether it be in a parking lot or at a red light. 

Operating a vehicle while not having completely focus is basically as dangerous as drunk driving. It could be especially dangerous being on your phone while driving through campus. The amount of people crossing streets daily is high, especially at night with limited visibility and when people are not necessarily paying the most attention while crossing the street. 

Imagine you are driving home and you get a text. You think that since it was fine the last time and nothing happened, it is okay to check it. You take your eyes off the road long enough to type in the password for your phone and a car pulls out in front of you and you drive into the side of it. You hit the drivers’ side, injuring the people in the car. You are okay, but you may have just taken the life of someone else because your focus was on your phone and not on the road.

 Texting and driving is the equivalent of driving at night without your headlights on, you are not able to see the road, and anything could happen. Why choose not to see where you are going instead of focusing on something that will still be there when you reach your destination? 

So the next time you are driving and feel your pocket vibrate, or hear your ringtone  remember that some things can wait, because it would not only be you in danger, but the safety of everyone on the road will also be at risk.                                                                                     

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