We all know that texting and driving is dangerous. It is the
leading cause of death of teen drivers. In a recent article, “Driving to
Distraction,” in Mindful Magazine, the author stated that “At any given
daylight moment across America, as many as 660,000 drivers are staring into, or
manipulating, their electronic devices. In 2011, 23% of all auto collisions
involved mobile phones, and a study showed that texting while driving is more
dangerous than drinking while driving.”
It takes 4 seconds to read a text. What we may not know is
that on July 2, 2013, it took one driver 4 seconds to take his eyes off the
road, read a text, and not only kill a young biker, Merritt Levitan but also
injure 6 other bikers in a caravan as well.
Tomorrow, July 3, is National TextLess Live More Day.
A day for everyone to put their phones away, leave the texts
and communications with those out of one’s physical vicinity, and pay attention to the interactions
and activities with those in physical proximity. A gentle digital detox for the
day to enjoy family and friends at the start of a long holiday weekend.
A day created in honor of Merritt Levitan who
was killed by a texting driver while on a cross country bike trip. After Merritt’s parents and friends
founded Merritt’s Way, three of
Merritt’s close friends from Milton Academy and family began a campaign to
encourage tech free days at Milton which has accumulated into this national
campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving through
social media and technology, and contribute to the eradication of the “deadly
combination of getting behind the wheel and texting and/or streaming.”
A day devoted to shifting our awareness from our
technological communications through digital devices to our real time
activities and interactions with those near to us. Put your phone away, let go
of the urge to check email or text a friend from afar, and focus on what is
right in front of you. Live in the present moment, “text less” and “live
more.”
This National Campaign is supported by avid social media
exposure through Facebook
and Twitter as well as two
Public Service Announcements hosted by Giancarlo Esposito, Gus from
"Breaking Bad.” The statistics claim that the average person spends 3.2 hours a day on their phone, thus the video asks what you would do with those three hours. Another video asks you to talk about the person you care about most, and then consider what your life would be like if they were no long here. It only takes 4 seconds. Watch
here.
Although the TextLess Live More campaign is designed to
prevent texting and driving, the founders claim they want this movement to be
bigger than that: “our goal is to
decrease excessive phone-use and encourage people to focus on the interactions
taking place right in front of them.” In essence, they hope to shift the culture away from the technologically driven communications and relationships to the more humane ones. It's not the abolition of technology, texting and digital devices, but the integration of them for a more present and aware existence.
