Did you know distracted driving is the #1 cause of teen fatalities, killing 7,000 teens in the United States each year?  This is just one of the many statistics presented by Miss Illinois, Hannah Smith, to Aquin, Open Bible and Tri-County Christian students at Aquin on October 19.  

Distracted driving is referred to as a traffic collision--not an accident.   This classification comes because distracted driving is no accident.  The driver is directly responsible for the collision.  Distractions can be broken into 2 groups:  mental and physical.  Mental distractions include conversations, music, phone calls and sleepy driving.  Physical distractions include shoes, eating, and tech devices.  The biggest distraction of all drivers today is texting.  Reading a text takes your eyes off the road for up to 3-6 seconds.  Anything can happen.  It’s as if you’re driving with your eyes closed.  Think you're looking at the road while texting?  It doesn't matter. Your mind is on the text, not the road.  Texts and calls don't matter if you do not make it to your destination safely.

Miss Illinois stressed to expect the unexpected.  No one is invincible--not you, not parents, not experienced drivers.   At the end of the presentation, a video was shown (see above) of a family who had their life changed in an instant when their twin sons were involved in a one vehicle tragedy.  All because the driver was texting.