Sara Lepp and I were on a road trip yesterday to Bismarck to do a presentation and we saw a couple of billboards that said “DNT TXT & DRV.”

This is a powerful message these days that more folks seem to be paying attention to – thank goodness.  As for Sara, well she took a photo of the billboard with her phone while she was driving…not so sure she really took away enough from the message.  Of course being the nagging mother type I am I harangued her the entire drive to not look at or use her phone while driving…I am thinking I will not be invited to road trip again.   

The good news is, we did not have a close encounter with a tree or any other unintended obstacles.   The bad news is, there are lots of folks still out there texting and looking at emails while driving.  I used to believe that talking on the phone while driving was okay, but more and more I realize that even that is dangerous.  I think hands-free conversations are better than actually holding the phone, but I think even those decrease the driver’s attention to the road.

I cannot say I am an angel.  Sometimes I still talk on the phone while driving, but more and more it bothers me to do it.  I don’t text – that takes all of my attention on a good day – and I only dial at stop lights, but still I know that my concentration is not at 100% on either the road or the conversation.  I really want to give up the practice of using the phone while driving entirely. I am not sure when my time became so valuable that every minute had to be used –  to include those handful I spend in the car every day.

I am going to strive to make my car (at least while it is not parked) a no text, no talk telephone zone.  Also, I won’t be taking any photos while driving – posing for them maybe, but certainly not taking them. 

I think it is time to fully appreciate the riskiness in this behavior…plus, I never want to have to live with causing someone else harm because I wasn’t paying full attention while driving.  It will take some behavior modification on my part, but I think I can do it.  I challenge you all to try it with me. 

Day two hundred and sixty-three of the new forty – obla di obla da 

CC