Don't Text And Drive (NAPSA)—There are steps par- ents and others can take to drive down the dreadful rate of traffic injuries and fatalities. An esti- eee Fs mated 6,000 people are killed and 500,000 people are injured annu- ally because someone wastexting, e-mailing or talking on a mobile phone while driving. The Facts Dr. Joel Haber, a clinical psychologist and LG Text Ed council member, explains that for teens, texting and driving is an even big- ger problem thanit is for adults. First, kids text more. Texting is their preferred mode of commu- nication. According to a recent LG Text Ed survey conducted by LG Mobile phones, while half of all teens admit to texting while driv- ing, only 4 percent of parents are awareofthis. Second, teens are inherently novices when it comes to driving. They especially need to focus on the road to compensate for any lack of driving skill or experience. Third, teens can literally be driven to distraction. If a teen is caught up in a dramatic or tense texting conversation, it could be too enticing to focus on the phone instead of the road. The Stats The U.S. government’s official website on distracted driving, www.distraction.gov, cites multi- ple statistics on the dangers of this careless behavior: Using a mobile phone while driving, whether it’s handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. Driving while using a mobile phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. Drivers who use handheld devices are four times as likely to Teaching teens not to text and drive is not just for their safety, but for that of everyone onthe road. get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves as those who don’t. e An estimated 11 percent of drivers are talking on cell phones while driving at any point during the day. The Steps 1. Impress upon teens the need to not text or talk on the phone while driving by not doing so yourself. Beyond providing an example of responsible behavior, this creates a safer driving environment. 2. Explain to your teens the seriousness of the situation and let them know that it is important to have a plan in order to avoid temptation. For example, have them always keep their cell phone off while driving or in the backseat out of reach to avoid distrac- tion completely. 3. Learn more from the ex- perts in mobile technology at LG by visiting the company’s LG Text Ed website, www.lgtexted.com. As part of its Text Education cam- paign, LG offers insights and solutions on how to avoid possibly harmful behaviors such as distracted driving. In order to keep distractions to a minimum, LG encourages all drivers to never text while driving and to always use a hands-free Bluetooth device when operating a vehicle.
