A distracted driving PSA that hits hard: It's more than just not texting behind the wheel.
It really can wait.
We hear it over and over: Our phones are a deadly distraction in the car.
It's easy to dismiss the message because it's pretty much on repeat.
But here's the thing: A phone is a deadly distraction. And even those of us who have made a commitment never to text while driving might still be putting ourselves, our loved ones, and strangers at risk.
You probably know what's coming in this video, but I encourage you to watch it anyway.
I held my breath for a little too long, and even though I knew how it was going to end, it still hit me pretty hard.
What stood out most is that the woman in the video wasn't even texting. It truly doesn't take much to change the course of our lives forever.
We talk a lot about teens and their dangerous driving habits — so many viral videos about texting and driving feature teens — but the truth is that we adults aren't doing the best job leaving our phones alone either.
Keep this bit of info from AT&T in mind:
Here's the jaw dropper: A recent AT& T survey shows that it's adults, not teens (as might be suspected), that lead the trend on texting and driving. Almost half of all adults admit to texting while driving compared with 43% of teenagers. Of those polled, more than 98% of adults — almost all of them — admit they know it's wrong. That survey revealed that 41% of teens say they've seen their parents text and drive too.
There are a few ways to ensure we stay as distraction-free as possible when driving.
You can put your phone out of reach, like Glennon of Momastery and her husband agreed to do after watching this video.
And, if you're really committed, there's an app for that.
You can download an app, like DriveMode, that prevents you from sending or receiving calls and texts when you're driving. While it won't prevent you from scrolling or checking social media, it's a start.
Whatever it takes, the point is that we all need to find a way to leave our phones alone while we're driving.
An Instagram selfie or a Facebook status update just isn't worth it.