I refuse to use any texting because of the cost and I just don't see the need. My dau. back East uses her to keep in touch with her sons when they get home from school and she can't talk on the phone at work, just a quick check-in. My dau. here doesn't text that I know of and she hardly uses her cell but her husband does do some texting with family, much as he would email. Not constant, but useful.

The thing that bugs me even more are the handheld video games. My grandson, Morgan, is a whiz at them and has a new one. He knows he doesn't bring them over here unless I say it is okay. I tell him, I don't have him over to have him sit there and play alone when he has said he wants to see me. We rarely have the tv on when he is here, also, while his dad always has it on even during meals which I detest. So, he gets both worlds.

I picked him up today to go for a short ride. He joyfully showed me his game he brought, telling all about what level of Star Wars he was in. I asked him why he brought it. Well, "I can watch outside and still play." I told him he might as well get out of the car and stay home. I didn't come to get him to drive around while he played video games. He put the game away and we had a nice ride. He understands if it is explained to him. He does not like being left on his own so much at home when his parents are gaming online, though it is getting better as he learns to read and write.

Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen just did a great new song about all of this. You can see a video of it HERE. Well worth the watching...great irony/satire!

The therapist I go to now and then, is brilliant and has studied psycho-socio-economics for years. He was saying the other day, it started back with Reagan and has come to this point where the world is full of angry people. He believes, through his trained observation and experience, that it comes mostly from a loss of control. Most folks feel there is nothing they can control to change the world, etc., so they get kind of weird about what they think they can control. I suppose cells, texting, and other technological devices may give some kind of sense of control, at least of one's immediate environment. NOT that that is an excuse, just perhaps a cause of the symptoms or something. HE puts it all a lot better than I can.

I think my grandson's generation may reject a lot of the isolationism which comes along with these things, at least I hope so.

If I see one more driver blithely wending their way through traffice whilst talking on their phone, then holding it away from them to look at and to push buttons quickly, I think I will take down their license number and report them OR, if I can get their addy, I'll send them a Hang Up & Drive sticker.

Here are a few statistics:

   1. Texting while driving increases the risk of accident 23.2 times over unimpaired driving.
   2. Texting while driving results in longer response times than even drunken driving. While an unimpaired driver can respond quickly to changes in traffic and begin braking within half a second, a legally drunk driver needs four additional feet to begin braking—and a driver who's texting needs 70.
   3. In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spend nearly five seconds looking at their mobile devices—enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more area than the length of a football field.
   4. Though 95 percent of drivers surveyed said texting behind the wheel was unacceptable and unsafe, at least 21 percent admit to doing it anyway.
   5. Especially amongst teens, texting results in erratic driving behavior, like lane weaving and speeding up and down, increasing the likelihood of hurting pedestrians and running into other vehicles.
   6. Texting behind the wheel is generational: 37 percent of drivers 18 to 27 admit to texting while driving, compared to 14 percent of 28 to 44 year olds, and 2 percent of 45 to 60 year olds.
   7. An accident can happen in two to three seconds while texting.

Play It Safe

With dangers like these in mind, what can drivers constantly bombarded by incoming text messages and phone calls do to stay safe while driving?

It's as simple as either muting the sound or turning the phone off every time we climb in our cars. According to the American Automobile Association, doing so can actually decrease the risk of accident due to texting by 50 percent.

That means fewer accidents, injuries and deaths—and lower car insurance rates.

Resist the Urge

At the time of this writing, fourteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that make texting while driving illegal. In addition, lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require states to ban this dangerous combination of activities or face the loss of highway funds.

Regardless of your state's stance on the issue, texting while driving just isn't safe. So take these facts to heart, turn down the volume on your cell phone when you hit the road, and resist the urge to text while driving.

It might just save your life; and it could definitely save you from high auto insurance premiums!