Your Mind Your Body

I know I have written about cell phones. I have talked about the social and emotional problems that arise from poor judgment and immature behaviors. But, now I want to ask how many of you have taken Oprah’s pledge? For those of you that are uninformed and have no idea what I am talking about, it is simply this. It is a safety pledge for you, your family and everyone that happens to be on the road where you are driving. Did you know that texting while driving is the equivalent of driving after having 4 alcoholic drinks?  6000 crashes a year are caused by “distracted drivers”.  And even talking on the cell phone makes it 4 times more likely you will have a car accident.  All are totally preventable. 

Oprah had a show during which she had several people who acknowledged talking and texting on their cell phones when driving. They participated in a demonstration where they were texting while driving. They all crashed . It scared them. It scared me and I hope it scares you. So, Oprah asked that everyone take a no cell phone use while driving pledge. Many have. But a lot of others are taking baby steps. I think these behaviors are addicting! It seems easier to agree not to text while driving. It is a bit harder to not talk on the phone while driving. So Oprah changed the pledge. Now, you can pledge to not text while driving, only use hands free while using your cell phone in the car or stop using the phone altogether while in the car. I must admit I am somewhat guilty! I have never texted while driving. That just seems totally stupid. But I frequently use my head set and talk on the phone while driving. I talk to my kids a lot when I am driving home from work. I also, however, have my phone password protected. That means that if I decide to make a call while driving, I have to look down and enter my password. That is just like texting because I am momentarily distracted.  

So, I am working really hard to make sure my phone is unlocked before I begin to drive or to be certain I am stopped at a light or pulled off the road to unlock the phone. I am also spending a lot more time just listening to music or DVD’s and enjoying the time to myself. I am really working towards never using my phone while driving, even if I am using my head set. I hope you will too. Rarely is anything that urgent that it can’t wait until we are out of the car. Some companies are actually making it policy that no office work can be done while you are driving. What a great idea. To learn more about the Oprah pledge and to make the pledge, go to http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html.  To watch the video of people texting while driving ,  go to http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Testing-Text-Messaging-Drivers-Video.  Watch, listen and make your kids who are old enough to drive, family and friends, do the same.

Filed under: Children, Lifestyle & Behaviors, Uncategorized