You certainly want what’s best for your children. You want them to make wise decisions, study hard, and excel in life. You also want them to stay safe, especially when they’re behind the wheel, which is why you’ve taught them not to drink and drive, or get in a car that’s being driven by someone who HAS been drinking and driving.

But are you aware that there is a danger behind the wheel that could be even more threatening than alcohol?

It’s texting and driving.

Studies have shown that texting while driving can be as dangerous as driving drunk, and yet about 70% of people admit to having sent text messages from behind the wheel. And this problem definitely affects teenagers; according to one study, almost half of our nation’s teenagers have admitted that their distraction while driving is caused by text messaging.

I think that texting while driving is even more dangerous than drinking while driving, because people are lulled into a false sense of security while doing it. We’ve been taught that alcohol and a car is a bad combination (and it is!), but we haven’t really been taught that cell phones, which everyone has these days, are just as dangerous behind the wheel, if not more so.

So parents, it is important that you teach your children not to text and drive. Explain the dangers to them, and show them that you care about their safety. Encourage them to save their conversations until they have reached their destination safely, and you will be doing your part to make our roads, and your children, much safer.