Guys. Hey guys…guys? You have to stop texting while driving. Yes, according to recent surveys about half of you admit to the practice and a whopping 98% of you admit to doing it even though you know it’s dangerous – so we all know this is a serious issue. But you’ve gotta put down the phone.
A 25-year-old Maryland woman is facing charges after the car she was driving hit a tree and careened into a nearby lake. According to her own admission, she was texting while driving and lost control of her vehicle.
From the Charles County Sheriff’s Office:
On Sept. 10 at 12:25 p.m., a 25-year-old Temple Hills woman was driving her Hyundai north on St. Charles Parkway near St. Thomas Drive in Waldorf when her vehicle went off the roadway and struck a tree. The crash propelled her car about 60 feet into Wakefield Lake where the vehicle quickly submerged in about 5 feet of water. The woman was able to get out of her car through the driver’s side window. She had no visible signs of injury, but was transported to Charles Regional Medical Center for treatment. The woman reportedly told officers she had been texting and driving when she lost control of her vehicle. Cpl. J. Hopkins of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Operations Unit is continuing the investigation and charges are pending.
Maryland has a primary ban on texting by all drivers. It also has a ban on handheld use by all drivers – meaning that our distracted lake-crasher shouldn’t have even been talking on her phone while driving.
It’s good to know the woman is going to be fine after a fortunate window escape. At least she didn’t run into the back of a truck full of crap.
I think we all need to watch Werner Herzog’s devastating docu-short on the dangers of texting while driving. Seriously, people. Nothing you’re texting is that important – I promise you.
Image via Joel Kramer, Flickr
