PSA - Texting while Driving - update OP

[09Mom]

I know we all know that you shouldn't text while driving, but today it hit home. My parents are both in the hospital after the driver of a Lincoln Navigator hit them going full speed (witnesses estimated 30-40mph). Their car (an SUV) accordianed between the Navigator and car in front of them. The car is totalled, but they are both alive. So, be safe and careful out there.

Update: thank you all for prayers and good thoughts. They were just released after about 9 hours. They ran a bunch of tests because they thought maybe my dad had a heart attack. They are both banged up and bruised, but nothing broken. They were very impressed with under the circumstances how the car held up. The driver of the other car was ticketed for reckless driving. He walked away from the accident but never walked over to see if my parents were ok.

[boogiemomz]

So scary, so glad they are okay! Thanks for the PSA!

[rlu]

Prayers for your folks OP.

[gcc2k]

:47:

I'm glad your parents will be okay! I really hope the driver will be okay as well, and I hope s/he learned a lesson! So scary!

[boolady]

Absolutely. It can't be said enough-- thanks OP. I'm glad your parents are okay. Below is the text of something I posted in a thread about accidents two years ago regarding texting and driving:

Two and a half years ago I was in a fatal accident. The driver who hit me, and was killed, was texting and drifted over into my lane. She overcorrected, lost control, crossed in front of me, crossed the median, went airborne, flipped twice and hit a tree. She was a 36 or 37 year old mom, just like me, on her way to pick her child up from daycare, just like me. It is complete and total luck that opposing traffic was stopped at an upcoming traffic light, or many other people would have been seriously injured, if not killed.

I think every.single.day how lucky I am that I am here, and I think every.single.day about her child who lost her mother. I do not talk about it in person, not that there's much to say, but have posted about it before, in threads on texting because hopefully it may save someone else.

[crl]

How frightening. Prayers for your parents. And thank you for the reminder!

Catherine

[hellokitty]

It's illegal to text and drive in our area now, it went into affect last autumn. I hope that your parents are ok, it sounds like it was a really awful accident. :hug:

[maestramommy]

OMG!! :hug:

I do NOT understand why people even think texting while driving is safe. You're not looking at the road and at least one hand is not operational. HEL-LO!!!

[kellij]

I wish they would come up with something that would disable texting ability if a car is on! I get so mad when I see people doing this. You notice too, because they usually aren't driving straight. There was a girl on the interstate when I was driving a few months ago that was totally staring at her phone and texting. She worked for some government department, so I called and let them know about it. It just really needs to stop.

[sunshine873]

Ugh, OP, so sorry you're having to go through this. Glad your parents are alive...are the badly hurt? Prayers for them and your family.

[Pennylane]

So scary! Glad your parents are both ok. We live in Texas and there is no law against texting while driving, crazy! I see people doing it all the time.

Ann

[anamika]

Sorry to hear that. Glad they are okay. How scary!

[pinkmomagain]

Hope your parents recover quickly. How scary! Thanks for the reminder.

[MamaMolly]

OP, P&PT for your parents and the others involved. How scary!

Jen, thank you for sharing your story. It breaks my heart for you and the other family. P&PT for you guys, too.

[alexsmommy]

Prayers to your parents. Just had this conversation with 5 y/o DS re: no mommy can't text Daddy that question, she's driving and there is no reason ever good enough to text in a moving car.
I do think the people about two blocks from my office think I'm stalking them as I'm always pulling over to text there because something about being in the car after work triggers me to remember things I didn't take care of at home.

[cleo27]

I'm so glad your parents are okay! That is so scary.

[Momit]

How awful. P&PT for your parents and thanks for the reminder, OP.

[jgenie]

P & PT for your parents.

ETA: I see people texting and driving all th time. It drives me nuts!

[sophiesmom03]

Good thoughts for your parents. Thank you for the PSA.

[elizabethkott]

P&PT for your parents.
And thank you for the psa.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Hope your parents are back home quickly! so scary.

[Seitvonzu]

manymany good thoughts for your parents. how scary! i can't believe people text and drive. i always try to get away from people if i think they are texting....scary scary stuff :(

[SASM]

OMG!! Sending many P&PT's their way. What a blessing. :(

[sarahsthreads]

I'm so glad your parents are OK! How scary!

I've never understood how ANYONE could think it was safe or important to check texts or emails or ANYTHING else that takes their eyes off the road while driving. Even in the "olden days" before smartphones, I used to see people reading the newspaper and shaving while driving on my highway commute every morning. Now it's so much worse because everyone is fiddling with their phones. I don't know how, in 8 short years, I'm going to be able to allow my daughter to drive on the same roads as all these people paying more attention to their phones than where they're driving. It's hard enough, as an experienced driver, avoiding the crazies...

I really wish they could put a dampening field in cars that makes it impossible to send or receive any data on a smart phone while the car is in gear.

Sarah

[hellokitty]

I'm glad that your parents are ok and hope that they recover quickly from their injuries.

This may seem like a weird question, but may I ask what kind of car they were driving? It sounds like a pretty serious accident, but it's really impressive that they didn't sustain major injuries, esp being hit by such a large suv.

That sucks that the other driver didn't even check to see if your parents were ok. That happened to dh's co-worker's daughter. She got rear-ended by a lady driving a cadillac escalade who was texting while driving and when she hit co-worker's dd's car, she refused to even get OUT of the car, locked the doors (she wasn't hurt), to even check to see if the person she hit was ok! I guess I am appalled that ppl would not at least check on the other driver, that just seems like a very douche bag kind of thing to do.

[ourbabygirl]

Wow, OP, how scary that they were in that accident, but good that they came out ok! Thanks for the PSA- texting is illegal in our state, and I kind of wish talking on the cell phone was, too, because it's just hard for people to fully concentrate on the road.

[crl]

Glad to see your update!

Catherine

[maestramommy]

:angry-smiley-005:Reckless driving citation?? That's it?? Should've been arrested.

Glad your parents are okay though!:hug:

[tina-t]

Glad to hear that your parents are ok. Must have been really scary for them.

Doesn't seem fair that the driver only got cited for reckless driving.

[queenmama]

How scary! So thankful your parents were unharmed!

[TwinFoxes]

OP, glad your folks are ok, how terribly frightening!

Boolady, thanks for sharing your story. :hug:

[KrisM]

Yikes. I too can never understand how someone could think this is a safe thing to do. I am very glad your parents are okay.

[goldenpig]

How scary! Glad your parents are OK.

[westwoodmom04]

Glad to hear that your parents are unharmed. People are just crazy with their phones. This morning a woman in a minivan (so probably kids inside) made a left hand turn when she didn't have the right of way (this on a rare icy morning here). She then continued to stare at her phone which she held in her left hand. I couldn't help but beep at her; some people have lost all sense of caution when driving.