Healthy Living

They call it “DWI — Driving While Intexticated.”  Haven’t we all had the experience of seeing a car that seems to be drifting, and when you glance into the driver’s window, the driver is texting or gabbing on a hand-held cell phone?  It seems to be an increasing trend.  I saw it three times on my 13-mile commute to work the other day.  It was disturbing.

When I got to work, I talked about it with my friend Jill Schaff, RN, Backus Trauma Program Manager.  I asked if she saw many motor vehicle accidents that were attributed to distracted driving.  “Unfortunately, trauma cases come in to the ED all the time, and it’s readily apparent that the driver was distracted, either talking on a hand-held cell phone, or texting.”   She said it’s not hard to prove: the police can access your cell phone activity record if there is reasonable suspicion of an unlawful activity like texting and driving resulting in a motor vehicle accident.    

Many drivers assume they can handle texting while driving, but these statistics prove otherwise:

The National Safety Council reports that texting while driving causes 1.6 million accidents per year, which is nearly 25 percent of all car accidents. 

The Institute for Highway Safety Fatality reports that 11 teen deaths every day are attributed to texting while driving.

Texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to crash and is the same as driving after drinking four beers, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

May is Trauma Awareness Month, and also includes National Emergency Medical Services Week, appropriate times to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.  Jill has purchased red rubber thumb rings that say “TXTG KLS.”   She plans to hand them out at Backus Safety Camp on Saturday, May 16, as a reminder that indeed, “Texting Kills” while driving. 

Hartford HealthCare has a campaign directed at people of all ages.  It’s called “Thumbs Up, Phones Down.”

Please take this pledge at www.thumbsupphonesdown.org. Then, ask your friends to do the same. Here is the pledge:

While driving, I will never, ever:

•  Text.
•  Take selfies.
•  Talk on the phone. (Unless it's hands-free)
•  Check social media.
•  Email.
•  Or do anything else with my mobile phone that could potentially hurt or kill me, my passengers, other drivers or pedestrians.

Let’s spread the word, take the pledge, and help keep our roads safer for all.