Ever killed a jogger or bicyclist while driving? I have. Fortunately, they've only been imaginary ones.

I bet it's the same for you.  

Yeah, I've looked up from reading a text message or dialing a telephone number, only to be driving in the breakdown lane where bicycle riders could easily have also been only a moment before.  Or joggers.  Or stranded motorists. When I reflect on the matter--and especially when I have found myself having just veered from the lane I otherwise was supposed to be driving in--I realize that there's a deadly combination of technology, machinery, and humanity that's becoming an increasing problem--and social issue.  

You guessed it: it's the matter of texting while driving.  Some would argue it's the use of cell phones, period, while operating a motor vehicles that's the problem.  And if you are sceptical, there's a growing body of evidence that the people who at first blush seem excessively cautious might just be right:

• The data are sketchy, but 26,000 deaths annually have been attributed to cell phone usage while driving--and these estimates are from 2005, when cell usage was substantially less than it is now!
• Driving while texting [DWT] is largely viewed by authorities in the field as more dangerous that driving under the influence of alcohol.  
• Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.

Why is there a problem?  

What's hampering us is the empty lag time that exists between the invention of new technology-based products and the formation of commonly-shared cultural attitudes and beliefs that help us accommodate to all of the new-to-the-world-stuff.  Without such common "beliefs" the technology can be, at least for a time, somewhat dysfunctional--and that's what's happening in the case of texting, and especially while driving.  

Without guiding social and cultural expectations, a lot of people don't know how to handle change and newness in their lives.  Two examples:  with the emergence of more and cheaper foods [driven by technology], many people lack the perspective to eat less, not more--even though that's the most prudent course of action.  With the widespread access to convenient and easy financial credit [again driven by technology] many people act irresponsible with credit cards and their personal finances.  In both instances what technology has made easily feasible, frequently leads to dysfunctional behaviors on the part of early [and particularly young] adopters.  '

Where's Mothers Against Texting?

In other words, it takes time for us--collectively speaking--to develop effective social conventions and, over time, developed belief systems.  Look at it this way: there's now seriously entrenched attitudes against driving while intoxicated; indeed, there are also powerful social forces at work to promote positive actions as well as contain irresponsible behavior--witness Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  

Unfortunately, it appears that few such social understandings exist that touch on cell phone use while we are driving.  

One company--to it's credit--has taken the lead to start the long process to shape social realities pertaining to texting while driving.  AT&T has produced a remarkable video clip that strives to focus an awareness on what we only would otherwise come to by direct experience over a much longer period of time, a perspective on how to "see" and handle new technology that's an increasing part of their product line.  Here, see it for yourself...

I salute AT&T for being a thoughtful company, to conceive and then produce a video clip that, ideally, speeds up the process of how all of us ought to think about and feel and ultimately act with respect to texting while driving.  

After viewing it myself, I find I'm reconsidering how important much of the phone use is that has been a part of my own personal experience when driving--especially in terms of the "deaths" of more than a few imaginary joggers, cyclists, stranded motorists--and after seeing the AT&T clip...maybe even myself!  
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