I text while I drive, and I am not proud of it

On April 13, a Texas House Committee passed House Bill 62, which if passed by the senate, would ban texting and driving in the state by law. Texting and driving are already prohibited in certain Texas cities, such as Sugarland, but the goal is to make it a statewide prohibition.

This is serious. Not being able to text and drive by law?! It seems like the only time I can find for responding back to my text messages is while I’m driving. I know that is not the best time, but for me, it is pretty much my only down time.

I come from California, one of the 46 states that already banned texting while driving. California police actually enforce the law, installing fear in California drivers from even reaching over to view the time from their cell phone. I tend to not take it as seriously since I am accustomed to using my phone while behind the wheel, but many of my co-pilots, meaning my California cousins or sister-in-law, scream at me for driving and grabbing my phone.

On some level, I realize it is not safe to text while behind the wheel, and that all my attention should be focused on my surroundings. I am aware of this, just like we all are, so why do I still text and drive? I think it’s because I haven’t had an accident yet. No, I am not waiting for an accident, but I think I take it for granted that it hasn’t happened yet. I find it easy to text and drive like it will never happen to me. That is one of the problems; one message turns into an entire conversation.

A total of 1.6 million crashes, nearly 330,000 injuries and 3,154 fatalities occur each year in the U.S. because of cell phone usage. I definitely do not want to be a part of that statistic, not as a victim and definitely not as the cause. I would be devastated if I knew I was the reason for an accident, no matter how small or big.

I have been thinking of ways I can avoid texting; I do not want to put my phone on ‘airplane mode’ or ‘don’t disturb’ because I never know when I may actually need to make an emergency call.

My first thought was to learn how to drive a standard vehicle. Crazy right? I figured if I drove a standard vehicle both my hands would be preoccupied, and I would not even be able to reach for my phone. I tried I really did, but it was so hard I gave up.

I successfully found three other techniques that did work. The most effective technique that works best for me is to connect my phone to my car with a hands-free device. The ability to converse with someone during my drive without the distraction of looking at my phone has worked quite well as well is my Apple Watch. My boyfriend gifted me with an Apple Watch that enables me to quickly glimpse at my incoming text messages without taking my hands off the steering wheel. My eyesight does go away from the road for a few seconds, but at least I can realize quickly if the text is important or not. This is only an option if you own an iPhone. If the text message requires an emergency quick response, you can speak into your watch to reply, make a call with the hands-off connection or simply park your vehicle as soon as you get an opportunity.

Third, I get in my zone. I play one of my favorite albums and sing along. Maybe it’s not the best singing, but it helps me keep my focus on my driving

Although these techniques do help, I have to admit that I am still guilty of texting and driving. I am not proud to say this and I do look forward to becoming a safe driver not only for me but for the public as well.

It is very upsetting to realize that I am capable of doing what I know is best, not only for myself but for the safety of surrounding people, yet I need a law to make me do it. I hope that this bill does turn into a law, a law that will prohibit me, and others like me, from texting and driving and decrease the amount of accidents, fatalities and injuries that takes place every year.