This is what can happen when you take your eyes off the road for approximately two seconds. Our son, normally a great driver, was trying to figure out if the GPS was sending him in the correct direction. Two seconds. Tops. He was traveling 20-25 MPH.

Thankfully, other than an abrasion on his arm, he was unhurt.

For his two second attention lapse, the price tag will run:
Insurance deductible $500
Loss of his good driver status, insurance increase $250 for six years $1500
To replace the vehicle with another van (this one was totally paid for and running great) $12-28K

That’s about $10,000 per second.

And it could have been worse. Ashley Zumbrunnen pulled out her phone on the way to work to text her husband, “I love you. Have a good day.” She lost control of her car, flipped, and as a result, is now paralyzed from the neck down. Deianerah Logan was texting on her way to her first—and last—day as a high school senior when she crashed into the back of a school bus. Logan died that afternoon. I could go on.

According to the National Safety Council, twenty-eight percent of all accidents are related to cell phone use and texting. Multitasking while driving doesn’t work!
So please…
Ignore the text message notification.
Ignore the ringing phone. Whoever is calling you can wait.
Stop taking photos when you are driving.
Pull over if you need to program your GPS.
Parents, model this for your teen drivers. Soberly communicate to them the necessity of keeping their devices out of reach when they are at the wheel.
Stay alive.