Protecting your children

Have any of you seen a video of a Public Service Announcemnt hitting the airwaves in Great Britain? The 30-minute video to be shown in British high schools shows the dangers of texting while driving. Now I am not an expert at text messaging, don't really like it much, but I know better not to attempt it while behind the wheel of a vehicle going 60 miles per hour.
Apparently, though, teenagers do not.
Whiile researching a story on a new Missouri law that makes texting while driving illegal for anyone under 18-years-old, I came across some startling statistics. An estimated 20 percent of drivers are texting or receiving texts while driving, according to U.S. News and World Report. The same story suggests that when the 18 to 24 age group is isolated, the number jumps to 66 percent.
Already 25 states of laws against DWT, Driving While Texting.
The thought is just baffling to me. My brother boasts that he has texted all the way from St. Joseph to Kansas City. He made it seem like this was a cool thing to do. As his sister, a person and a mother, the idea scares me to death. Not to mention I cannot believe his stupidity.
As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children. Even when my daughter is playing outside, I am constantly looking for obstacles that could cause her to trip or fall. I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want to see her in pain.
But when I hear and see these statistics of teenagers writing a note to their friends while driving, how do you protect them from that? Talking on a cell phone is dangerous enough, but texting? That is a whole new ball game.
The British video, which becomes pretty graphic, could be a start. Showing teenagers and even adults what could happen while doing this increasingly common activity takes some of that invincibility away. They see the consequences of their actions and how it not only impacts them, but others. Is this kind of "in-your-face" approach the best way to protect someone? Maybe. I don't know.
What I do know is that I don't want my daughter to become a statistic when she is 16. No I don't text while driving, but I talk on a cell phone occassionally, am not as good a wearing a seat belt and any number of habits I don't want her picking up along the way. So as her parent, I need to set a good example. That is a way that I can teach her to make good choices. If I don't want her doing something that I do, then I need to improve my own habits. If I don't want her doing something I don't do, then I need to explain to her as she is growing up why that choice is bad, unsafe and in some cases unhealthy.
I want her to grow up to be a strong and responsible person with the ability to make good choices. But that ability doesn't come naturally, iit needs to be taught.
So if the British video has taught me anything, besides not texting while I am driving, it is to live my life the way I want my daughter too. That is the best way I can keep her safe.