PLN-20

Texting. What a common term nowadays. Almost every teenager has a cell phone by the age of 12, and because of that, texting is now the fastest way to communicate. We text in class, at dinner, during church, at lunch. But the most concerning is that 97% of 460 teens vote that texting while driving is dangerous, but 51% of them admit to doing it. In Steering teens away from texting while at the wheel from the Denver Post, more than 46% percent of teens in Colorado alone are said to text while at the wheel, and 51% admit to talking on the phone while driving.

This article relates to me in many ways. As my plan does not cover it, I do not text regularly, but it does not necessarily stop the text from streaming to me. I often find myself wrapped up by the text my friends send me, even when my mind should be on other things. Many times, my head suddenly impacts with some pole or another because someone had sent me a chain letter via text. If I can be so distracted by texting that I can't even walk correctly, how can texting while driving be safe?

My sister has a cell phone as well, and sends more than 5000 texts a month. I know my sister is smart enough (not to say that others aren't smart, of course) not to text while she is driving, but it is a little scary to think that so many teens out there do not see how dangerous texting at the wheel can be. My sister talks on the phone in the car all the time, but she is 21 and can handle multi tasking. However when I get in the car, the phone is put away, or given to someone else. My sister realizes how dangerous letting your mind stray while on the road can be; and she refuses to put me in danger because she wants to chat with friends.

This article relates to the world in perhaps more ways than it does to me. Thousands of teens send hundreds of texts, and many of them do it when they should be focusing on more important things than when the latest movie is coming out, and who is dumping who. I do not mean to say that these silly topics all teens are ever interested in, but as stereotypical as this sounds, our generation does tend to focus on less important subjects when we shouldn't be. Teens all over the country text, which is fine with me, but when we are driving, that should be our main focus. We shouldn't let our minds wander simple to answer to that small and cheerful "bleep" our cell phones send out every once in a while. One state patrol officer, Ron Watkins gives tickets for careless driving to anyone he catches weaving while texting or talking on the phone. I believe Watkins' action is a great way to prevent more texting and phoning related accidents on the road.

I don't text, nor do I have any desire to be swept up in that chaotic highway of instant messages, but my friends do, and it frightens me to think that teens like us are endangering themselves because of texting. Texting itself is not bad, but I think that it should be kept under control, and should not get in the way of getting yourself safely from point "A" to point "B".