Guest Blog...Colin McKenna
Technology has allowed us to be connected with the world at any time anywhere but it can also be a threat to our safety from constant distractions. Drinking and driving is rightfully frowned upon in American culture, how many times have you heard someone say "I will never drink and drive". Unfortunately, our culture does not hold texting and driving as shameful as drinking and driving but it is important to understand it can be just as dangerous. When someone starts talking about drinking and driving let's address texting and driving into the same conversation.
SMS (Short Messaging Service) or text messages has only been around for 10-15 years so for a while we were unaware to the dangers that came from texting and driving. As more and more deadly accidents from distracted driving began to occur, we began to look deeper into what was causing these accidents. Car and Driver Magazine conducted a study that tested drivers on their ability to brake on the fly. When unimpaired the driver could perform a quick stop maneuver with a reaction of .54 seconds to brake, when legally drunk (BAC 0.8) it took 4 feet to brake and when texting it took 70 feet to brake. It’s startling statistics like this that explain why there were 3,331 fatalities from texting and driving alone in 2011.
I want to share with you a horrible story out of Kansas City about an innocent teenager who made one poor decision that will haunt her the rest of her life. Rachel Gannon was only 16 years old when she collided with a 72 year old Loretta Larimer. The accident occurred because Rachel was distracted by a text and was unable to see the oncoming vehicle. The accident resulted in Mrs. Larimer's life and her granddaughter being injured. Rachel was not a bad person, she just made a bad choice and is now facing manslaughter, assault, and texting and driving charges.Too many of these horrible stories have resulted in death, severe injury or lawsuits but there is light at the end of the tunnel. 43 of 50 state legislatures (including New Hampshire) have banned texting and driving. These bans mean nothing until we as a society begin to treat texting, and driving, with the same severity, as drinking and driving.
Unlike drinking, and driving, there are more technological solutions to texting, and driving. Airplane mode, and car mode, can disable communication functions while driving from your phone, but they do require a certain degree of will power. If will power alone is not enough, there are other apps, like Textecution, and Kyrus Mobile, that can protect you, or your loved ones, from becoming another statistic.
