Distracted Driving is a Growing Problem in Wichita Falls, Texas

Distracted driving has led to an insane number of crashes in Wichita Falls over the last year. According to News Channel 6, nearly 1,000 crashes were caused by distracted driving. While I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, I do know how to use a calculator and that comes out to almost 3 crashes per day. 

Think about it – that's roughly 3 crashes every day that were 100% avoidable. Nobody’s perfect, and we all know accidents happen, but if it happens because we’re looking at our phones, we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves and ask if that text, call, or whatever was worth it. My best guess is that the answer would be "no". 

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This isn’t the first time I’ve complained about distracted driving on this platform, and I highly doubt that it will be the last. Because the fact of the matter is that I see someone staring at or messing with their phone while driving every single day. I just don’t get it. 

Maybe it’s because I was blessed to have been raised by parents who drove for a living. When I was growing up, they taught me that when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, that is your number 1 priority. Period. That advice stuck with me to the point that I get uncomfortable messing with the radio while driving. 

So, with April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I figured I would share the statistics for the city I’ve called home since 2009 in hopes that it would serve as a wake-up call for the community. The way I see it, if it reaches one person, it was worth it.

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