"There is no such thing as safe texting and driving" ("DWI"). Nowadays you can take phone calls on the road, this may sound innocent and easily done but it is not. When you take that risk of answering your phone or reading a text, you put everyone around you in danger. For example, you could be in a car with your best friends, and if you take the risk of using your phone, you could get into a fatal accident, killing you, your friends, or all of you. Imagine living through the accident while your friends died, you wouldn’t be able to face yourself, would you? Sam Page, 20 years old, experienced this grief and guilt first hand. This is her story:
Sam Page was on her way to visit her sister, Shannon, at her house. Shannon didn’t know that her sister was on her way, so, while she was driving, Sam sent Shannon a message saying, “R U at home? I’m coming over." She never got a reply; Shannon, had fallen victim to a serious car crash and was sent to the hospital where she was put into Intensive Care. After hours of waiting and overwhelming feelings of grief, the doctor came out and told Sam and her family that Shannon was brain dead and, unfortunately, was not going to make it. Sam was stricken with sadness for the loss of her sister. Later on, while going through Shannon's phone, Sam discovered Shannon had been Texting and Driving in her final moments; in fact the last text she was going to send, that failed, was meant for Sam, letting her know that she wasn’t home. It read, “I'm on my way to Napier.” This story is just one of millions. Things like this happen to thousands of young people all over the world every year. You may not think that something like what happened to Sam and Shannon could happen to you, but it can easily happen to anyone. For their full story, go to http://www.thatslife.com.au/Article/Real-Life/Real-Life-Stories/Texting-while-driving-killed-my-sister.