The ‘Net Generation loves driving their cars. They also love their mobile devices.
Unfortunately, they love doing them at the same time as if they have suddenly acquired, and mastered, ninja-like skills.
Nearly 30% of the respondents to a AAA & Seventeen magazine survey said they text message while driving. I live, and work, near malls and I know that I see a lot more than 30% of younger drivers using their mobile devices while cruising around in Daddy’s late-model Lexus.
One 18 year old survey respondent said, “I do it all the time. Drive with one hand, and I text with the other one and look back and forth. But I’m used to texting because I’ve been doing it for over over four years. ”
That’s four years experience texting – two years driving. Scary.
Other kids tried to rationalize it by saying it’s the same thing as changing the radio station. And it doesn’t just stop there.
Some of their cars are loaded up with so much extra entertainment gadgets it looks like a mobile display unit for Circuit City. DVD screens, Navigation units, Playstations, iPod’s, back-up cameras, extra gauges and on and on. (You don’t need to drive the car anywhere – just sit in it, you’ll have a good time sitting still.)
Another survey found that 89% said text messaging while driving should be banned; students in driver’s education have listed text messaging as their top distraction.
Just recently, here in Rochester NY, five high school graduates died tragically when their SUV ran into a truck. Phone records showed that the driver’s cell phone had received and sent text messages seconds before the head-on collision.
More states need to ban cell phones and text messaging while driving. Washington state banned texting while driving. Virginia recently banned both devices for drivers under 18. New York already bans cell phones and is considering the text message ban as well.
Tell younger drivers to put down the mobile device…pls txt me ltr:)
