Decide To Drive AAOS & Auto Alliance: Distracted Driving

Hello Darlings!

I’m guilty- as I bet most of us are. I’m guilty of taking my eyes off the road, of looking at my phone to send a text or pick up a call, and to unwrapping a protein bar while driving. Those slight aberrations of attention can have disastrous consequences, both for ourselves and the citizens of the world we encounter.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has partnered with Auto Alliance to bring awareness to the ever-growing plight of distracted drivers with their Decide to Drive campaign. Those surgeons- the amazingly talented doctors that help you heal after automobile crashes, putting humpty dumpty back together again- have partnered with those who manufacture our vehicles to help spread awareness all the way from the factories in which our cars are made to the dealerships at which they are sold and beyond.

As a blogger I am constantly checking my email (work, personal, blogging) and every social media network known to man (I’m addicted) and sometimes I take a peek at my networks at a red light. I know I shouldn’t and I, thankfully, haven’t been involved in a distracted driving crash, but someone incredibly special to me, my little brother, has.

Pups in the Backseat Can Be Distracting

I will never forget the sound of when it happened. I was much younger and my brother was out riding his bike in the cul-de-sac, that circle that we considered a safety zone, away from the traffic of the busy streets outside of our neighborhood. All the sudden there was a crash, and cries. The teenage boy that lived two doors down had not been paying attention and had barreled into my brother with his pick-up truck. I will always be grateful for the fact that the sweet little boy was wearing his hockey helmet instead of a bike helmet as it protected him from the full force of the crash. It was a miracle that he wasn’t seriously injured.

Little Brother When He Was Younger

Distracted driving is everywhere. Sending a text in the parking lot is no less dangerous than unwrapping your burger on the highway. We need to Decide to Drive, let go of the selfish “I have to do this now” to protect those we love and those we come across from the trauma that my little brother faced.

Pay attention, put away the phone, focus on your driving, if something is so important that it can’t wait- park! You’ll be glad you did.

I know this post is a bit different than my normal healthy living post, but it is a cause dear to my heart- and I hope you take it in to yours.

Do you have the best slogan or catch phrase to make the Decide to Drive campaign pop? Enter the Decide to Drive Catch Phrase Contest between May 28 – June 13. Your words could be chosen as the official Decide to Drive campaign catch phrase, and you could win one of two $500 runner-up prizes or the $1,000 grand prize! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Enter here: http://clvr.li/1nwa6CV