How to resist urge to talk, text while you're driving

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Updated: December 5, 2010 6:10PM

You can tell some people a million good reasons why they shouldn't do something. They'll agree, but they'll do it anyway.

Take cell phones and driving.

We've heard compelling evidence that the two can be a dangerous, sometimes deadly, combination. A recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine pointed out that the chance of having an accident if you're driving while talking or texting on your cell phone is on par with driving drunk.

One of the strongest and most thorough examinations of the issue came in January from Oprah Winfrey, as the talk-show superstar kicked off a campaign to stop cell phone use, particularly texting, while driving.

Medical evidence that was presented showed that no matter how good we think we are at driving and using cell phones, it all amounts to distracted driving, which can and does cause accidents.

Winfrey included people who swore up and down they could drive well even while texting. "Someone else" was the bad driver, not them.

To demonstrate their prowess, they tried a course akin to those you practice on in driving school.

Well, guess what: They all stunk! A few knocked over cones. What if those were people?

That's the real cost of one bad move when using a cell phone behind the wheel: human life.

Winfrey included a mom who told how her sweet-faced little girl was riding her bike home from school and was "15 pedals" away when a distracted driver on a cell phone took her life.

Then there was the wife who described the pain of learning her husband and his co-worker were killed by a driver who had been texting.

That show was the start of Winfrey's No Phone Zone campaign. Since then, she has asked viewers as well as celebrity guests to sign a pledge online.

To date, almost 400,000 have signed it, according to her website.

And then there are the rest of us.

As admirable as it is for someone with Winfrey's influence to take on this public-safety issue, it isn't enough to make some drivers stop talking or texting. The chance of breaking the law prohibiting the practice doesn't deter them either.

But, maybe something else could: We need to plant the idea that not using your cell phone makes you more exclusive.

If you remember back when cell phones first became popular, part of the allure was that so few of us had them. You must be someone important if you need to be reached all the time.

That's not the case now.

Every other 9-year-old has one. If you're a parent, very often you're getting calls like, "Johnny won't let me have the remote!" The cool is over.

After I watched that Winfrey show, I stopped using my cell phone in the car.

People who call me often say, 'I tried to get a hold of you.'

I just say I wasn't available. That stops them in their tracks. You know what? It feels pretty good.

We're in an era where technology has made us available 24/7. If you can catch a time when you can't and won't be reachable, see how it feels. You're in control of your time; you're only as available as you want to be.

Now, letting your cell phone ring while you're driving can show how important you are; you're in an elite group that doesn't have to answer.

Of course, being that exclusive also could save your life or that of someone else.

How cool is that?