To the Editor:
Re “In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin” (front page, July 28):
I have friends who text while driving, and I am nothing short of terrified for their lives. I would trust my friends with almost anything and many of them are excellent drivers, but I cannot trust drivers who text at the wheel. In such a situation, even my friend is an irresponsible driver.
Many people have never gotten into a car accident—for that I am beyond thankful and pray that things remain this way. Some even claim that muscle memory gives them perfect knowledge of their keyboard—but this makes me no less afraid.
Too many people are dying each year from cellphone-related car accidents. I am terrified that my friends will hurt themselves or others by choosing to text while driving.
To those who text and drive, I really wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you or the people you care about.
Saiontoni Sarkar
Beaufort, N.C., July 28, 2009
Note from KBJ: Texting while driving is like shooting a high-powered rifle in one's suburban back yard. Do we plead with the latter to stop?
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 