I used to do it several times a day, but I gave it up

Lately, my conscious has really been giving me a good thrashing. I am plagued by guilty feelings due to some very bad habits that I have acquired. I'm not the only one... every body's doing it. Some are trying to be discreet about it and others are boldly doing it without shame, even in front of the kids! First I started to do it just a little bit, you know, for fun. Then it turned into an everyday occurrence as if I had no more control, my lack of patience got the best of me.

I'm not talking about anything illegal, as I'm sure you are sitting there trying to figure where I'm going with this. Actually depending on which state you live in, it is considered illegal and is punishable by law. What am I referring to? TWD: Texting While Driving. Yeah, I've been really bad about this. But lately I've been trying hard to stop this pattern of behaviour. For one thing, I do not want to be the one who causes a horrible accident perhaps killing someone on the road because of my carelessness. Not only that, but I could injure or kill myself and those that I love in my own vehicle. As I drive everyday I am carrying precious cargo in my backseat, my two babies. How can I be angry with another driver for being careless if I am doing the same thing? I cannot rightfully expect a stranger to care about the safety of my children if I myself am not taking the same if not safer precautions while behind the wheel of my car. Not to mention how much of a hypocrite I will become in the eyes of my children , when I talk to them about being a safe driver, setting rules for them that I myself am not willing to follow. I know that children are more apt to follow what a parent does rather than what they say. Lord knows, that when they become of driving age I will have PLENTY to say, but I want to have good actions to support my words.

Studies have shown that a person who is distracted by texting while driving has the same driving skills as a person who has had four alcoholic beverages! And just like a drunk driver, a person who texts and talks on the phone while driving thinks that everything is under control and that nothing is going to happen to them. WRONG! It is so very possible. Just with the push of a button, someones life is in your hands. It could be a passenger in your car, an adult or child crossing the street or another driver in the next lane over. One careless action can cause a person to be blood guilty in a major way, changing lives of families forever.

So, to prove to myself, to my children and to others that I am committed to being a safe driver, I took the pledge. I went to Oprah.com and pledged to stop texting while driving and to only use my cellphone with a hands free device while driving if I have to make or take a call.

What about you? Are you guilty? Can you make changes in your daily habit and routine while commuting to and fro? If you want to do the right thing along with thousands of others, go to Oprah's site and take the NO PHONE ZONE PLEDGE . I did, and I am happy to have done it. Now my conscious is clear. It's one less thing I have to worry about.