Everybody knows you shouldn’t text and drive. Most people have enough willpower to resist … most of the time. But the more your social or business life revolves around your mobile device, the more likely it becomes that you have texted while driving. Even if you are hyper-conscientious and have great willpower, you’ve probably slipped out your cell at least once telling yourself you’ll be safe if you’re extra careful because this is IMPORTANT.
Some people feel proud because they can think of many times they’ve resisted the urge to text while driving. However, each time you resist on any given day, you make the next time harder, not easier. Behavioral studies show this all the time, whether it’s with a diet that starts out good in the morning only to crumble late at night, or drinking, or even doing a series of tasks around the house. Each act of “being good” draws a bit from your willpower and at some point in the day, if you’re depleted, you stumble and fall.
So if you have a busy day and are driving around while at the same time trying to coordinate activities, whether it’s a business deal or a wedding party, you’ll come to a point where you feel you just HAVE to take care of this one text. Even if you never text while driving normally, if you’re human, you’ll rationalize it and do it. Now, if there’s an accident and the insurance company pulls up your text records, being human, being depleted, won’t count for anything. Just because you don’t text 364 days out of 365 will not matter one bit.
If you can foresee a problematic day for texting, don’t risk it. Hire a car or limo and driver. Give yourself the freedom to focus on your business without worrying about the traffic. Let yourself enjoy the big day, be it a wedding, a graduation, or a family reunion by being free to safely keep everyone in touch and coordinated without need to split attention to the road. Let the driver drive while you handle what you need to do.
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