“I w i l l be h o m e i n 1 0 m i n u t…”, you text as you maneuver through traffic on Antonio Parkway. But you never actually finish that text, nor do you get home. What you don’t see as you are so focused on your phone is that you’re about to run a red light. You look up just in time to see a car heading straight for the driver’s side of your car. All goes black.

Texting seems pretty harmless in itself. Essentially, you’re just sharing a few words with a friend or family member. But the truth is, those characters that you chose to tap out on your cell phone while operating a motor vehicle can kill.

Every day in the U.S., more than nine people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in accidents involving a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Driving requires the use of your hands and the use of your cognitive abilities to focus on everything you need to do while driving,” said Deputy Sheriff Neal Holmes of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “Driving requires a lot of attention and texting while driving makes us inattentive.”

Distracted driving, including texting while driving, is a recipe for disaster. “Cars weigh a lot… you run into something, you hit something…it’s going to be a bad day,” Holmes said.

Maggie Morris

A common misconception about the texting and driving law is that it only applies to text messaging. However, the law states that “it is an infraction to write, send, or read text-based communication on an electronic wireless communications device, such as a cell phone, while driving a motor vehicle,” according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Therefore, “text is not a text message, it’s text information,” said Deputy Sheriff Jason Blake of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

So, just because you’re typing an email while driving, as opposed to a text message, doesn’t exempt you from the law. Any type of text information exchange is considered illegal in California.

“Hands free is ticket free is what the law is,” Holmes said. “Why isn’t putting on makeup while driving and eating while driving illegal? I think they’re on the right track [with the law].”

A general rule is that, while operating a vehicle, keep your hands on the wheel to maximize control of the car and minimize the potential for an accident to occur. It’s not just texting that’s dangerous, but any use of your hands that takes away from your control of the steering wheel.

Some people justify texting while driving if they are stopped at a red light. Although cars are not moving while at red lights, the vehicle is still in operation which still makes it both dangerous and illegal to text.

“It’s still illegal,” Holmes said. “Is it better than when you’re going 40 miles per hour down the road? I suppose; but it’s still taking your attention off the road.”

Twenty-seven percent of SMCHS students admitted that they text while driving.

Maggie Morris

Teens have the tendency to believe they’re invincible regardless of the staggering statistics that prove being involved in a texting-related crash is quite possible.

“I always think I’m going to be okay even if so many people do die from it,” said senior Alyssa Travis.

It’s not just your life you’re risking when you text while driving, but the lives of everyone else around you. People text and drive because it’s easy to do, and they want to respond immediately. But the satisfaction of sending a text isn’t worth the risk.

Those who choose to participate in sharing text-based information face a $120 minimum fine in addition to court fees. But the costs of being involved in an accident or fatality are infinite.

Despite its potential to take away a life, texting while driving is still incredibly prevalent among all drivers, new and old.

“It’s everyone,” Blake said. “The average age is 20-50 but it’s everyone. I even pulled over a 90 year-old the other day.”

Holmes suggests simply pulling over if you really have to send or a read a text. It only takes a second to do and it can save a life.

After being told that texting while driving is illegal and that there are serious implications, it’s easy to believe that you’ll never be one to do it.

“When you’re not in the car, it’s easy to say that you won’t text and drive but once you’re in the car and you’re sitting at a stoplight, you figure that one little text can’t hurt,” said senior Michael Cunningham.

Texting while driving whether stopped at a red light or on the toll road, is never legal nor justified. Even if you claim you’re watching the road, texting while driving is still potentially lethal.

Next time you feel inclined to reach for your phone, ask yourself: is this text worth a life? And hopefully, the obvious answer will be no.