Safety Should Be Our Priority While Driving..Not Closing The Deal.
We've all heard some horrific stories of people dying in car accidents due to using their cell phones while driving.
I recall one such accident involving 5 teen aged girls who had just
graduated from high school, looking forward, no doubt, to the the
wonderful future that lay ahead. I remember thinking when I saw their
pictures that one was more beautiful than the next.
The
details of the accident indicated that the girls were going to their
parent's summer home to celebrate their graduation. Behind them were
the boys that were going to join them. Cell phone records showed that
2 minutes before the accident a text message was sent from one of the
boys in the car behind the girls. One minute before the accident, a
text message was sent back from the girls' car. No one will ever know
if it was the driver or one of the other girls in the car who was
texting because, tragically, all five girls died in that accident.
Sometimes
my thoughts turn to how my life could change instantly, if God forbid,
I struck another human being because I was talking on my cell phone
while driving. Just close your eyes for one minute and imagine how your life would change.
I have cut way back on my cell phone use while driving because I feel
most calls really can wait and because I want to be a good example to
my daughter who will soon be driving. I don't want it to be "Do as I
say and not as I do."
As realtors, I think we feel strongly
that we just MUST answer the phone or we will miss that buyer/seller
who might be calling or we might lose the deal. I have a blue tooth so
that at least I can have both hands on the wheel but my focus still
isn't 100% on driving.
Yesterday, USA Today, posted an article regarding cell phone use titled,
"Efforts to Limit Cell Phone Use While Driving Grow"
and you can also read about the pending legislation in many states
regarding cell phone use, especially texting and in some cases
including the use of blue tooth in the article, "States Target Distracted Drivers." This will be important legislation to follow in the months to come.
I think it's important for all of us who make our living
"on the road" to remember that no commission is worth someone's life or
the lives that are ruined by accidents like the one mentioned above.
So
to all my clients, past, present, and future, please forgive me if I
don't immediately pick up my phone. Consider the fact that I may be
driving and putting safety first, of not only myself but especially
others.
If you would like to buy or sell a home in Brecksville Ohio or in
the surrounding communities, you can reach me at 440-263-7496, or you
may want to visit my website for more specific information on the communities I service: Brecksville, Broadview Heights, North Royalton, Independence, Seven Hills, Parma, Parma Hts., and Garfield Hts.