A wake up call on distracted driving

As technology becomes more advanced, cellphones become more than just a phone,

Now, one can go online, play a game, watch a movie and perform a myriad of other activities on a cellphone. This means millions of Americans are likely multi-tasking as they walk, work or drive.

We all know not watching the road is not a good thing, but I think most of us prefer to imagine we are invincible. We don’t think we’ll hit anything or hurt someone because we don’t want to and never have before.

I am guilty of this.

I am the annoying person you have to honk at when the traffic light turns green because I am checking my cellphone and not paying attention. I know it’s not safe to text or check my e-mail on my Blackberry while driving, but I do it anyway.

A couple days ago, I turned on the television to watch Oprah and got convicted for my bad cellphone habits. The show titled, “Oprah’s No Texting Campaign,” had story after story of people hurt or killed because of distracted drivers.

The saddest story for me regarded a male high school senior. He was reading a text message on the drive home from school when he hit a pole and was instantly killed.

This bright student and star athlete would never get to go to college, land his dream job or start a family. When I thought about how this all could have changed if he’d looked up from his phone even a second earlier, it brought tears to my eyes.

Oprah shared statistics on the number of distracted drivers.

Millions of people text, talk or e-mail on their cellphones while driving. A recent survey found about 71 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 49 admit they text or talk on the phone while they drive.

Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting and e-mailing behind the wheel. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be added to the statistics.

After watching the show, I went online to Oprah.com and signed “Oprah’s No Phone Zone Pledge.” I decided to put my phone in my purse and far away from me while I’m driving to get rid of temptation.

Oprah’s pledge gives people three different options to choose from when signing up. Options are: “I will not text while I am driving, I will not text while driving and will use only hands-free calling if I need to speak on the phone while I am driving or I will not text or use my phone while I am driving; if I need to use my phone, I will pull over to the side of the road.”

Now when I am tempted to use my phone while driving, I think of the people I love. If I were to lose them because someone was distracted while driving, I would be furious.

The reality is, every driver and pedestrian is someone’s loved one. As we drive, we should see them as someone’s mother, brother or best friend, instead of the person in front of us driving too slow.

If we picture this, it might be easier to put the phone down and watch the road.

To pledge, visit www.Oprah.com.

Sarah Kehoe is the Columbia Basin Herald education reporter.