“I need to quit texting because I could die in a car accident and then how would you feel…” This was the text typed seconds before Chance Bothe drove his pickup truck off a bridge, plunging it 35 feet below where it then exploded, according to the Huffington Post and Click2Houston. Suffering a traumatic brain injury and breaking most of the bones in his body, the 21-year-old Texas college student had to be brought back to life three times. His family was informed that in the minutes leading up to the January accident, Chance was fighting with a friend on his phone through texts.
97% of teens say that they know texting while driving is dangerous, and yet 43% still admit to doing so. Drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident while texting, and the students at Cathedral Catholic are no exception. Because the novelty of the iPads still hasn’t worn off, students want every excuse to use them, including while behind the wheel.
“I always see students on their phones in the mornings. A few days ago while passing the stop light, I saw a student using an iPad while driving,” said Dean of Students Mrs. Marlena Conroy. Using an iPad while driving is legally the same as texting on a cell phone while driving, meaning both acts break the law.
“With drinking and driving, I think students understand the issue. But, with texting and driving, students need to be made aware,” Mrs. Conroy said.
“I understand that, for teenagers right now, using a cell phone is so natural that it’s hard to remember to not look at the screen,” she said. “I recommend putting your cell phone in the back seat or trunk.”
Because we live in such a technological age, students can even take it a step further than that, and download the free app, Drive Alive. Before operating their vehicle, students (or parents or teachers, or anyone, for that matter) open the app and log in. The app will get a GPS connection, and track the entire ride. Once the destination is reached, simply press the end trip button. As long as you don’t use the device, you can then receive cash and discount rewards for simply obeying the law.
Other apps that promote driving without cellular distractions include Drive Safely and Drive Safe Mode. With all of these options at the click of a finger, the onus is on teens to heed the warnings and be responsible- both as drivers and cell phone owners.
“A decision that seems like the most innocent can have the most tragic results, so I want students to value not just their own lives but others lives as well,” said Mrs. Conroy.
