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Witting by Tom Harkness
As written recently on the resqme blog the way we use phones has changed dramatically in just the past decade. Gone are the days of simply using it to talk with a friend or loved one. Now, we’re sending texts, picture messages, and emails all the time, with some of us doing so while driving. This is, as some of you surely know, an extremely dangerous activity with truly staggering statistics supporting the fact that drivers need to keep their eyes on the road—and off of their smartphones!
The Realities of Texting and Driving
If you are of the thought that too many people are texting/emailing and driving at the same time today, you’re not alone. According verizon wireless to, 89 percent of adults feel the same way and believe it should be outlawed. No surprise, then, that a majority of the United States—41 out of 50 states—has banned the practice. With good reason, as you are apparently 23 times more likely to get in an accident if you’re texting/emailing while driving. Why? Well, part of the reason is that, as Verizon notes, you end up driving blindly for (at least) 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, you’ll have gone the length of a football field while sending that text—so don’t do it. Put the phone down and focus on driving, you (and everyone else on the road) will be thankful that you did.
There’s An App For That
Going without your phone while driving doesn’t mean you need to ignore or lose communication with your contacts. Verizon actually teamed up with the Safely company to provide a free smartphone app for Android users. The way it works is simple: the Safely Go app automatically responds to any calls or texts you receive, which allows your contacts to know you are driving at the moment. As a result, you’re still “in touch” but also focused on the much more important task at hand: driving with your full attention. You can download the app <a href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.safely.go.driver.safety.
What Else Can Be Done
Despite everything you can do to keep yourself from causing a collision, there’s no accounting for the very real possibility of an accident still occurring. With that in mind, it’s important to be properly prepared for such an incident. By having a resqme device nearby, perhaps even on your keychain, you will always be ready for an accident where getting out of your vehicle seems almost impossible. As reported by CBC, this was a reality for a Saskatchewan mom who drove her SUV into a pond. She had reached back to give her young child a snack when the car travelled off the highway and into the water.
She and her husband were prepared for exactly this situation, though, and had researched how to escape drowning vehicles. This led her to acquiring a resqme device, which she used to smash the window and safely exit the vehicle with her family. The woman told CBC News: “One of the first things we did when we got home, was I wanted to buy one for all of my friends and family. So we called around the, city, and you’d be surprised, nobody even knew what we were talking about.”