Texting and Driving
Everyone knows it is dangerous, and further to that, illegal to text and drive. However, those two facts do not seem to repel everyone from using their phone while driving. On March 1st, the law changed relating to the punishment for using your phone while driving: this is 6 points and £200 fine. However, I do not need the prospect of this punishment to deter me from using my phone while I’m driving.
The things which deter me from using my phone include damaging my car, injuring myself, and most importantly, injuring someone else. Under the new rules, if you are caught using your phone and have been driving for less than 2 years, you will lose your licence completely.
There are many celebrities who have raised public concern regarding using their phone while driving, most commonly, Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan.
She regularly updates her Snapchat while driving, which I believe sends out the wrong image to teenagers, particularly those who are a fan of the young reality star. I believe that by promoting her driving and using her phone, it creates more of a norm around it, but it really should be not accepted, regardless of the law.
Further to this, the use of snapchat creates a large amount of concern regarding the encouragement to use your phone while driving. There is a speed filter, which records the speed the user is travelling at. There is also the ability to earn “trophies” for fast speeds. This has led to people, extremely stupidly, trying to achieve the ‘fastest’ speed as possible. However, I need to ask – why? Why are you doing that?
I usually keep my phone in my handbag, however, there have been campaigns encouraging individuals to put their phone in the glovebox to remove temptation. I am pleading to everyone who uses their phone while driving, please, please think about the consequences. Out of sight, out of mind is perhaps the best approach to take.
Regularly on my own snapchat feed, I see people updating while they are driving or stuck in traffic and, apologies, but what runs through my head is ‘are you a f*cking idiot?’
Nothing on your phone can be so important that you cannot pull over. Further to this, updating your snapchat – really? Who are you trying to impress because I certainly just think you’re an idiot, nothing else.
If you use your phone while driving, you are ignorant and I beg you, please, please stop before something happens and you regret it.
All images: Google