No texting or talking… just drive
January 22, 2010 by Nancy J. Lewis
Filed under Positively Speaking
I recently watched a show on Oprah where they addressed this topic of texting and talking on the phone. It was very insightful and made me realize that doing either of these is a major distraction while driving. One of the experts on the show shared you are 4X more likely to crash if you are talking on the phone. This is the same as someone who is driving under the influence of alcohol. You are 8X more likely to crash if you are texting. WOW!! That got my attention.
They talked about when we are texting or talking, we experience inattention blindness which doesn’t allow us to see things right in front of us. It also creates a tunnel vision effect which doesn’t permit us to see things in the outer areas in front of us. They had some guests on the show who felt they could text and talk and multi-task with no problems while driving. They put them in a controlled environment and did some driving exercises that proved if they had been on the road there would have been some serious consequences. It was a wake up call for them and they were convinced that when you drive, your attention has to be totally on driving. This was good for me to see because I often talk handling business on the phone and have on occasion mixed my exit and gone beyond my destination.
They showed families that had lost loved ones because of individuals who were so involved in texting or talking they ran through stop signs, stop lights, and created accidents that were deadly. Watching the pain of what they were experiencing got my attention because as they stated on the show; these accidents were preventable.
I don’t talk and drive anymore. Won’t you join me and do the same? A final comment on the show was, “Don’t tempt fate. That text or call can wait.”
What are your thoughts on this subject? I look forward to your responses.
Positively Speaking,
Nancy
Nancy J. Lewis is the president of Progressive Techniques, Inc. based in Fayetteville, Georgia and the theme of her organization is "Developing a Better You!" We specialize in management development training, motivational speaking, and business coaching. Our topic areas are diversity, leadership, customer service, and professional development. Nancy's presentations are content-rich, empowering, and energizing. Nancy is married to Rev. Kevin E. Lewis and has three sons. Nancy has a girls program called Divine Young Ladies: Changing Hearts to Change Lives. Nancy shares with these girls character development, self-esteem, and the power of believing in yourself. Nancy is active in her community and church.