Tranquility Workshops Blog

Many people think that they can safely multi-task when driving.  They don't feel that they need to give their full attention to the road, which essentially is "mindless" driving.  Just a split second of inattention can result in tragedy.

Years ago, as I was driving to work one morning, my car was hit from behind by an 18 wheeler, causing my vehicle to roll-over a guard rail and land in a ditch.  Luckily, I survived the ordeal, and the injuries I sustained were not life threatening.  In the accident report, the truck driver admitted to "momentarily" taking his eyes off the road.  That's all it takes.....just a moment.

Yesterday's Oprah Show was focused on the dangers of talking and texting on the phone while driving.  A lot of people assume that they can drive and text or talk at the same time.  University of Utah researcher David Strayer has been studying distracted drivers for 10 years, and he states:  "We can't multi-task the way that a lot of people think they can".  Science shows that the brain just can't keep up.  David's research shows that when you're talking on a cell phone, that your risk for being in an accident quadruples.  When you're texting, "the crash risk goes up to eight times".

This is serious!  Driving is something that you should do mindfully, which means.....giving it your full attention. Do this for the sake of everyone (your self, your passengers, pedestrians, people in other vehicles).  Our minds naturally wander, especially when we see something of interest.  It just makes no sense to deliberately take your attention away from driving by using a phone (especially dialing or texting).

If interested, go to Oprah.com and sign the pledge to make your car a "No Phone Zone".

Mindfulness while driving can save precious lives.