IT CAN WAIT

U.S. Secretary of Transportation (and my personal hero) Ray LaHood was on Talk of the Nation yesterday urging people to put their goddamn phones away while they are driving. In his words:

Last year 5,500 people were killed as a result of distracted driving and half a million were injured. A lot of lives and a lot of injuries can be saved if people take personal responsibility... and put their cell phone or Blackberry in the glove compartment.

Honestly friends, this is a topic about which I cannot soapbox enough. IT CAN WAIT. No text message is worth someone's life. Put your phone OUT OF REACH when you are driving. Driving is an inherently dangerous activity, and fiddling with gadgets only decreases your reaction time and increases (exponentially) your chances of getting seriously injured or injuring someone else.

To the caller yesterday who seemed to think that people who are "feeding French fries to their kid in the back seat" are more dangerous than people on cell phones, all I ask is this: How many times do we see people feeding French fries to their kids while driving? Probably almost never. How many times do you see someone either talking or texting on a cell phone while driving? LITERALLY EVERY DAY.

We need to break bad habits and put our phones away. We need to speak up when we're in a car and the driver is texting/talking. Take responsibility for yourself and help instill good habits in your friends/loved ones. Do not talk to them when they are "driving and bored." Would you get in a car with a drunk? HELL NO. Studies have shown that texting/talking while driving impairs you MORE than being drunk! It is NOT OK!

Yes, I am preachy but this is important. I love my friends and want them to be alive. BE SAFE and encourage others to do likewise.