Watch the video about texting and driving. Complete the sentences with a number or short phrase. I have included the transcript at the end of the exercise. Please, listen first and read later!!!
- If you text while you drive, you are ___________ times more likely to have an accident.
- ______________ crashes per year are caused by using cell phones.
- From those accidents, _____________ were caused by texting while you’re driving.
- A graph mentioned in the video includes the following reasons for distraction-based accidents. Write the percentage next to each one of the distractions:
a) Texting: ________%
b) Eating and drinking: ________%
c) Navigating: ________%
d) The radio (tuning the radio, etc): ________%
e) Putting on make-up: __________%
f) Having children in the car: ___________%
- ________% of teenagers admit that they have sent text messages while they were driving.
- __________ % of teenagers believe their parents would punish them if they are caught texting and driving.
- Other distracting things people do while driving and mentioned in the video are ____________ and ____________.
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT, IF YOU WANT TO CHECK YOUR ANSWERS….
Tanner from Rexburg Idaho writes, “Hey Brothers Winn, Why don’t you do a show about texting and driving? Many teenagers don’t realize the danger from such distracted driving. I’ve heard that you have 8 times less the reaction time from texting and drinking compared to drinking and driving.”
I think you ment texting and driving. Although I’m pretty sure drinking is going to ruin your texting skills too. Sorry Tanner. I’m not a real jerk, I just play one on TV.
It’s a good point though. As it turns out, you’re 23 times more likely to get in an accident if you’re texting while driving. Did you hear that kids? 23 times more likely. [Taps screen] Is anybody in there? Are you paying attention. You’re probably texting.
I know how to connect with the kids. [Texting on phone] Stop texting while you drive. Send. Oh! Don’t read that last one if you’re driving. Send. That takes care of it.
The National Safety Council reported that cellphone use leads to about 1.6 million crashes per year. This is obviously a plot by the machines to kill us all and take over the planet. Come on! With a name like android?! Droid does… accidents apparently. But you’re phone doesn’t have to be smart to kill you. You just have to be dumb. Sorry, I’m not a jerk I just play one on TV.
Two hundred thousand of the aforementioned accidents were caused by texting. Well, actually they were caused by people not driving. You see, texting isn’t dangerous all by itself. It’s driving while you’re not paying attention. That’s dangerous.
Texting and driving is a problem, but it’s not the first thing to distract us while we drive. No, we’ve been distracting ourselves for years. Somewhere in the dark recesses of the internet we found a graph that separates out causality for distraction based accidents. And while texting did make the list, it wasn’t at the top. In fact it wasn’t even close. It was near the bottom at 4.2%. Eating and drinking came in at 6.8%, Navigating at 9.5%, messing with the radio was 10.4%, putting on make up was 16.6! You’ve got to look good at any cost right? But the winner by far was having kids in the care with you at 26.3%. Yes your children will be the death of you. [Pretending to yell at kids] “Strap on your car seat Billy right now or I will crawl back there and make you wish you were already sitting down!” Road rage isn’t limited to the people outside your car.
An alarming study from AAA shows that 46% of teens admitted to driving while texting. DWT! Busted! And you know what’s really alarming, besides the fact that these teens probably had no real reason to tell the truth, is that they’re already lousy drivers. [Laughs] I’m sure all the teens you know are great drivers. [Laughs again] I’m not a jerk. I just play one on TV.
Now while that last part was scary this next part is even better. An SADD/Liberty Mutual study said 52% of teens say their parents are unlikely to follow through on punishment if they continue to text and drive, compared to 36% who believe their parents would actually penalize them.
Boy those kids have got your number. [Pretending to punish teen] “You are in so much trouble you are grounded for life! You text your friend. You tell them you are not coming over tonight.” But punishing teenagers is so hard. Yelling doesn’t work anymore… and it’s such a pain to be consistant all the time. But hey, if real parenting is to hard you could always let natural selection run its course and let them keep texting and driving, ’cause eventually that punishment will take care of itself. I’m not a jerk I just play one on TV.
I know people who get dressed and even read novels while they’re driving. It’s a great book, with a killer ending. Surprise!