Texting While Driving: H17txt with MotoSpeak
While driving down Highway 100, I saw a teenage girl texting while driving. She held the steering wheel between her knees. And I felt angry at her, because I had our three children in our van.
While writing just a three-second text message, at 70 mph a driver can go the length of a football field without looking at the road. — Kevin W. Bakewell, senior vice president of the AAA Auto Club South
And I wished I could explain to her the work and joy that was put into her life by her parents and those around her, and how quickly that work and joy could be destroyed. Just by texting.
Texting while driving increases your risk of crashing by twenty times. - Study by Virginia Tech
June is National Safe Driving Month. This week, my husband and I are testing out an H17txt with MotoSpeak™, thanks to Motorola. Over Bluetooth it reads your text messages and emails to you.
Next weekend Motorola’s “Get Smarter”™ cars will be in Minneapolis to teach consumers how to drive responsibly and stay legal this summer. For your chance to win an H17txt with MotoSpeak™ and a free ride in Motorola’s “Get Smarter”™ car on June 18th and 19th, follow Motorola on Twitter and Facebook.
Disclaimer: The only true way to drive safely is to put down all devices, as you require both your hands and mind to drive.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
This post seems a little inconsistent to me. If we are concerned about safe driving, why should we support devices that further contribute to multi-tasking in the car? Are there really texts and emails that are SO important that we HAVE to deal with them while driving? Even if you can listen to your texts and emails while driving – while it may be marginally safer – you’re still not concentrating on what you’re supposed to be doing. Driving safely.
Agree Christina – added a disclaimer
I didn’t see it, but I am 99% sure that the woman who rear-ended me while I was stopped at a stoplight with my 2 children in the car, causing $5,500 worth of damage, smashing me in to the car in front of me, sending the 3 of us to the ER, causing me endless hours on the phone with insurance companies, bringing me to court because she didn’t want to pay her ticket, and wasting my time because she didn’t show up at court but paid at the very last second, was texting at the time. On the bright side, we are all fine, and it got me two brand new very expensive car seats when mine were about to expire.
I decided to do something about teen (and adult) distracted driving after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me last fall by a texting driver. That incident changed me but I don’t hate texting. Texting is here regardless of how I feel. 72% of teens text every single day – some over 3000 times a month. The texting drivers I spoke with, including teens and truckers, all said that laws and Big Brother type software devices that “lock down” their phones would not deter them at all. So I built a tool called OTTER to compliment the efforts of legislation and public education. OTTER helps the individual manage their texting at home, in school, at the office, or, most importantly, on our highways.
In response to the epidemic of teen texting and driving, we started our Break the Habit Campaign (http://BTHnow.org ) to raise awareness of this problem thereby educating us all of the dangers. Did you know that 50% of teens interviewed admitted to texting while driving? If 50% admitted to it…how many are actually doing it?
Best,
Erik Wood, owner
OTTER LLC
http://www.OTTERapp.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVn2vRYaSAU
We saw several young people texting while driving on our drive back from Milwaukee this weekend. I tried to make eye contact with them so I could show them how angry and scared I was but they were too busy looking at their phone. This is an epidemic that needs to be stopped somehow. Studies have shown that hands-free technology doesn’t reduce the likelihood of getting in a crash, but I wish that weren’t the case. In the meantime, I have signed Oprah’s No Phone Zone pledge and I make my calls and texts when I’m not driving.
Another issue caused by cell phone and text use in cars is the expectation that people are available 24/7. Used to be that I could look forward to a car ride as a break from issues at work or my mom’s latest crisis. But now, the excuse that “I was driving” doesn’t excuse being unavailable. The need to focus on the road and drive safely somehow doesn’t deter a client’s demand that you be available for a conference call the same time that you need to get your kids to school. This type of multitasking has become an insane societal expectation. Not only is it physically unsafe, it’s mentally and emotionally draining. Jon escapes it by riding his bike to work. But he told me he saw someone texting while biking the other day!!!
Why are we so connected to our phones…why? What did you do 10 years ago before we had all of this technology? I won’t lie, I have a smart phone, and I like being connected, but my messages can wait the few minutes it takes me to get to the store or work! Three kids in the car is enough distraction!
Sorry wish I could edit ~ Meant to say What did We do 10 years ago… “We” being our society!! Sorry, just wanted to clear that up!
It is very hard to imagine life without our phones now. Even though I grew up with no cell phone it is very hard to picture now.