Texting and Driving Don't Mix

Texting while driving: It's a major risk that many teens have been taking lately. Driving is an activity that takes full concentration, so when you are distracting yourself from the road to compose, read, or send a text message, you're setting yourself up for disaster. Just like most other teens, Alex Brown -- a 17 year old girl -- was guilty of texting and driving, until one day it ended her life. It turns out, approximately 50% of teens have actually admitted to texting while driving. Not only is texting while driving putting yourself at risk, but it is also putting other drivers at risk of injury or in worse cases, death. Texting and driving don't mix.

Most people tend to think that a "texting and driving" accident could never happen to them or their family, but as we all know, life is full of unexpected surprises. Alex Brown was one of those individuals. November 10th started off as any other day would. As Alex drove herself to school that morning, she received a text message. Although she knew better, she went against the warnings that had been spoken to her about the dangers of texting while driving and took her concentration off the road to compose a text message. While sending the text to her friend, Alex's truck flipped and she was viciously thrown onto the cold hard ground. By the time her family had found her,  Alex Brown had passed away.

After the death of their daughter, the Brown family was traumatized. Never did they want to go through this situation again  nor did they wish for any other family to have to experience this, so they took action. Within the past year or so, the Brown family has created an organization called B.U.S.T (Buckle Up and Stop Texting) that has spread nationwide. The goal is for high school students to sign a pledge, promising to buckle up and stop texting, which in return should eliminate distraction and keep their focus on the road. As of today, February 3, 2011, almost 21,000 high school students have signed the pledge. This family is really making a positive impact on our country.

The Brown family is truly an inspiration. Any family who can take a traumatizing incident and turn it into a life long lesson for not only themselves but also for others around them, are genuinely wonderful people. If you stay clear of teaxting while driving, your chances for accident reduce greatly. It's simply not worth it for an accident to occur because of a text message. Texting and driving don't mix.