
R.I.P. Jewel. This is for you and all the others like you…
Today I visited Lakeside High in Augusta, Georgia “as a reward for students at the school, winning a contest discouraging teens from texting while driving.”
HD 98.3 Program Director Chuck Whitaker played I huge role in making this all happen by having the station host the competition. He said, “We feel compelled to spread the message about the dangers of distracted driving, especially to our newest drivers,”
My sentiments truly echo Chuck’s especially because it is our generation, who are the “textaholics” We can’t seem to go 1 minute without checking our Blackberries and various smart phones. Even iPads have become a source of distraction.
But there is just no text, or email or even phone call worth losing a life over. NONE! If it IS that important, carefully check all your mirrors, find the nearest safe place to pull over and handle your business.
When I was a little girl, I almost lost my own father to distracted driving. And he wasn’t even texting! He simply glanced down at his phone to see who was calling. When he tried to swerve to avoid crashing into a roundabout, he overcompensated and over steered right into a ditch. He had to be rescued using the Jaws-Of-Life. My father ended up in the hospital for half a year, completely paralyzed. He spent his birthday, mine, my 2 sisters and mom’s, Christmas, New Years and a more bedridden, unable to walk or move. We thought he might never move or walk again. I cried for weeks. It was so hard to visit him and see his beaten, battered, scarred body, just laying there limp and unresponsive. Even after his release from the hospital, he spent years in physical therapy trying to recover and he still walks with a limp to this day.
Please don’t text and drive! Don’t do ANYTHING while driving! Just DRIVE. FOCUS ON THE ROAD. Not only because you want to be a safe driver, but also so that you can avoid accidents caused by other reckless drivers. So many have lost their lives or have now been seriously harmed because of another distracted driver. Also discourage anyone from texting or using any device, or consuming any intoxicating substances while you are a passenger. If they refuse, GET OUT! Save yourself! (…)
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