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Texting while driving is okay, if you're from Krypton
Are you Superman? You know, invincible? Able to withstand pain and injury, maybe whiz around the world and turn back time if you screw something up and hurt someone unintentionally?
Rocky Kaller wants to know. He’s 17, got his driver’s license last year, and has already shown considerable common sense about an issue that affects us all: people who text while they’re driving.
Are you one of those drivers?
I am. And I shouldn’t be.
Ordinarily, I’d be afraid to make such a confession. Who wants to admit they’re doing something so obviously dangerous and avoidable? My older stepdaughter takes her driving test in a couple of months. What kind of example am I setting?
So I interviewed Rocky yesterday morning for this story, and I have to admit he embarrassed me by giving the subject much more thought than I have.
“In all honesty, I think we both know no one’s going to stop texting,” he told me. “You don’t learn anything until it happens to you. Everyone thinks they’re Superman. It’s not just teenagers.”
He’s right. It’s not just teenagers. It’s me. And I’m willing to bet it’s many of you, too. So can we all take a lesson from Rocky and put the phones down while we’re driving?
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Comments
Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
The kid's a champ.
Posted by: John R. | April 29, 2009 6:28 AM
It's bad enough you do it, let alone write about it. Shame on you being an adult and doing it. And, NO, I do not text while driving. I do talk on the phone but would never take my eyes off the road to text while driving. That's just plain STUPID! Bad example for your kids and your stepkids.
Posted by: Jayne | April 29, 2009 4:23 PM
You're right. It is a bad example. But I'm not going to be a hypocrite about it by pretending I never do it. Why shouldn't I write about it? It's not like I'm condoning it. With a few strokes of the keyboard, you could just as easily have lifted Rocky up rather than tearing me down. Rocky's awesome. Smart kid. Taught me what I should have already known. The phones go in the glove compartment from now on. :)
Posted by: Rafael | April 29, 2009 4:35 PM