One of my pet peeves about driving is people who use the phone while driving. It irritates me, not just because they drive slower, they don’t move when the light turns green, and they don’t do anything except stare straight ahead. It’s because they’re not paying attention. Not paying attention is a factor in many auto accidents.

We deaf people don’t have a problem with phones in general- what we have a problem with is texting while driving. A lot of people I know are guilty of this; even the best drivers have admitted they’ve done it, often telling me they just check or send at red lights (I admit to having done the same in the past…).

Recently someone shared a New York Times interactive game with me, and it was rather eye-opening. Go ahead and try it, then come back and tell me how you did.

So, hearing or deaf, next time you’re out on the road, don’t text and drive. Don’t get on the phone and drive. And for god’s sake, PAY ATTENTION.