Richard+Editorial

=**Death by Text ** = By Richard Juárez

Whether we know it or not, we put ourselves in danger everyday. Whenever we are behind the wheel or sitting in the seat of a moving vehicle, the life of everyone in the vehicle. There is always a risk of injury or even death when you are in a vehicle. This risk increases when the driver is distracted and doesn't pay any attention on the road ahead. One major distraction while driving is texting. Based on a Time article “Distracted Driving: Should Talking, Texting Be Banned?”, if someone is [|__texting while driving__], they won’t have full attention on the road and this could lead to a car crash. A driver should have full attention on the road because a second off the road could lead to serious injury or death.

In the past few years texting has made a big “boom” popularity. Based on a article by Shelby Martin and Mackenzie Davis, it became popular mainly because it's [|__easier__] than calling someone else if you just have to ask a simple question. It's also more personal because you can text anywhere and the person next to you won't hear the conversation you are having on your phone. Another reason is how simple it is to text now with new phones designed specially for texting. These are some of the reasons on how texting has become popular in such a short amount of time.

Everywhere you go, its no surprise that you will find someone texting. An average teenager sends about [|__2,272 messages per month__]  (says the article from The New York Times called "Texting May Be Taking a Toll). There are still people who text much more than that amount. Texting can even become an addiction when it comes to sending a huge amount of messages. The people who are addicted to texting text whenever they have a chance. It's no surprise that these people will even text while driving. They will have very little attention on the road and this will increase that person's risk of [|crashing]  (from a Time article "Texting Drivers, Tempting Fate"). I admit that I have sent a few messages while behind the wheel. While I was doing this, I felt that I had no idea of what was in front of me. After I sent my message, I felt as though for a moment I didn't have any control over the vehicle because everything on the road changed during the time I was texting. Luckily I didn't get in a accident, but this experience has taught me that texting while driving could have injured or killed me or someone else.

 Texting while driving has to stop immediately. Lives are on the line inside a moving vehicle because anything can happen and there can be serious consequences. Its the drivers responsibility to have complete focus on the road. Its dangerous to text while driving and next time you are in a vehicle and the driver is texting while driving, tell that person to stop because your life is in that person's hands.