Practice what you preach
Published 9:21 pm Thursday, August 30, 2018
I’ll admit, I’m an angry driver. I tend to get road rage when people are going under the speed limit or attempt to switch in my lane while they are right next to me, but I think it is reasonable for me to get angry.
That’s because more than half the time, when I look at the person driving, they are nose-deep in their cell phone.
It blows my mind, but it also enrages me.
We all know that texting while driving is not only dangerous but also illegal.
According to the Code of Virginia, texting while driving is banned, and it is also a primary offense. The offense comes with a fine of up to $250.
When I was learning how to drive, I was constantly reminded to stay off of my cell phone. It was a daily reminder as if I didn’t know just how dangerous it was.
I was always reminded, because I was a teen that was supposedly obsessed with my cell phone. But I realized pretty quickly it wasn’t these phone-obsessed teenagers causing all the trouble on the road.
It’s our parents that are the problem.
Every single issue I had yesterday while driving was because of someone who was at least a decade older than me on their cell phone.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety did a study in 2013 and says that adults use their phones more than teenagers while driving. A whopping 82 percent of adults ages 25 to 39 admitted to using their phone.
Even more shocking, sort of, 72 percent of adults ages 40 to 59 admitted to using their phone while driving.
None of this is really all that shocking to me, because I’ve seen it firsthand. It seems the older generations want their kids to do as they say, not as they do.
Hopefully, everyone can practice what they preach and just stay off of their phones while they are driving.