We often think of texting and driving as a young person’s problem. But a new study looking at parents has found that 2 out of 3 read texts while on the road.
This study is very alarming. Because grown adults should know that texting and driving is very dangerous, yet it appears that many are still doing it. And now this new research has found that roughly two-thirds of parents are reading texts and about half are writing texts while driving - with their kids in the backseat. Now I’m quite surprised by that. As a parent of three kids, I would never text and drive. Not only are you more likely to get into an accident, but your children are watching you. So you’re literally teaching them that texting and driving is acceptable to do.
Now how old are these parents? Well, roughly half of them were millennials about 33 years old and the other half were older parents, about 44 years old. And all of them had at least one child under the age of 14. So does one group get in more accidents than the other? Not really, despite millennials being more likely to report distracted driving.
So what can be done to curb this tendency? Well, I’ve got my prescriptions:
- Turn off the text feature and set up an automatic response. This will let people know that you’re busy driving.
- Be aware that it takes about five seconds to send or read a text. So at 55 mph, that’s long enough to cover the length of a football field.
- Lastly, as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind”. The trunk is a great spot for those who are super tempted to check messages.
Now here’s the bottom line, when you’re driving you need to be fully engaged. Not only are two distracted drivers much more likely to cross paths. But, the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says that nine people are dying every day from distracted driving. Remember, this is not just your life, but your kids’ lives and the lives of other people that you’re putting at risk. So before you reach for your phone, ask yourself, is that text worth it?
This week on the all-new Dr. Nandi Show, a deep-dive discussion into a hot-button topic, the evolving roles of men and women. Dr. Nandi, MD is joined by Life Coach Bryan Reeves who reveals why men feel emotionally disconnected and ways they can embrace their feminine power. Sabrina Lynn of “ReWilding for Women” suggests women have become more masculine and are the ones behaving badly! And a relationship coach and couple demonstrate how to recharge both male and female energies. Join Dr. Nandi this Saturday, May 18th at 1 pm.
