Cell phone use while driving is becoming one of the most talked about concerns among many people nowadays. Now I just learned yesterday while driving home and listening to the radio News 91.9 that teenagers are now pasting or taping their cell phones to the steering wheel while driving. Crazy! Now they are able to text people while driving a lot more now. This concerns me as well as a lot of people I’m sure. If this trend is starting now, this endangers not only the young teenagers life but the lives of innocent people as well. Texting while driving needs to stop and perhaps ban cell phone use all together.

 Here in New Brunswick we don’t have a cell phone ban in place as of yet but I feel it’s just a matter of time before it comes into effect. Several provinces in Canada have already taken action and a domino effect will surely come to the rest as well. I’ve never heard of “pasting” until yesterday and I’m sure a lot of you haven’t either. The only reason why I learned of it is because someone had called in from The Coalition For Cellphone-Free Driving and talked about many different things being a doctor and what he’s seen. He’s seen many tragedies as a result of cellphone use while driving and kids are telling him what happened but when it comes to the police they lie and say they weren’t on their cell phones to try and get out of trouble. It was very interesting hearing the statistics and facts on accidents and how cellphones are increasing deaths and injuries as a result of them. After hearing him speak it definitely is something that needs to be done. Cellphone use while driving is killing our children and perhaps someone else’s loved one. Something needs to be done.

What do you think of teenagers pasting their cellphones to the steering wheel? Pretty nuts isn’t it! How would you feel if your child was injured or even killed as a result of some teenager texting while driving with their cellphone pasted to the steering wheel? Something needs to be done and I think more education should be brought into schools about proper and safe cellphone use. We need to sink the message into our teenagers and even adults that use cellphones while driving especially texting can kill. Education and strict laws concerning cell phone use need to be set into place. What do you think about this issue? Pasting cell phones to steering wheels, what next?

On CTV News it stated that people talking on their cellphones are 4 times more likely to be in a car accident and 24 more times likely while texting. Like I’ve said before, I can understand texting while driving your car is dangerous and quite frankly it’s no different then drinking and driving as poor judgement is used. There are plenty of mixed reactions on the ban of cell phones in Ontario but most would agree its a good thing. Even though it may be a good thing it will be a tough ban to really enforce really but we’ll have to wait and see the studies after the ban is in place to see if car accidents decline.

To show you all and especially young teenagers why texting on cellphones while driving is dangerous you can watch this video reenactment of what can happen. Nothing brings an important issue better then a video. This video was created by Mr. Watkins-Hughes and his students for and with the Gwent Police Department, located about 150 miles west of London. Well done and really gets the message home to all young people and especially parents so we can teach our kids the importance of being safe.

**** WARNING***** This 4 minute video you are about to see is very graphic. It is professionally staged and sends a strong message to everyone about texting while driving. Again this video is very graphic, please use your own discretion if young children are around.

After watching this texting while driving video I hope that many young teenagers will learn from this and it sticks with them for ever. It only takes a second and our lives can be taken away in a flash. Even though some people may be angry with the cellphone ban in Ontario it may have just saved a few lives.

For all provinces that have no cellphone bansin place please use your phones responsibly and forward this article to all your friends. You may just save your friends life who may be texting while driving all the time. Be safe!

So how many of you text while driving? After watching this video about texting on your cellphone while driving, you think you’ll do it again? Be safe, use your cellphone responsibly and think of your family and the other families loved ones you may affect just by 10 second text. Stop texting while driving and show all your friends!