Commentary • Poojan Dave
From the spoken word, to written letters to dial-up phones, humans have always sought new ways to communicate with one another. Today, it seems that texting is the mode of choice for getting messages to others quickly, especially when it comes to teenagers. According to Nielsen, American teenagers, on average, are sending and receiving over 3,339 texts a month. But other statistics – those culled from police reports – show that texting among teens is not only growing in popularity, it’s a growing threat to theirs and other people’s health.
Ling Murray knows well the dangers of texting. On December 1, 2010, she and her daughter, Calli Ann, were hit by a car as they were walking home from a park. Calli Ann was killed instantly and Ling was put in critical condition. The driver later admitted that she was texting when she hit them.
Texting and driving is now a major public safety concern, and there is never a good excuse for doing it. To convey my point, imagine a conversation between the police officer and the driver of the car that killed Calli Ann:
Cop: Why did you crash into this mother and child?
Driver: I was texting.
Cop: You mean to say that you killed this child just because you couldn’t wait to send a text message?
Driver: …
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