In 2015 the Colorado Department of Transportation reported 15,307 driving crashes in the state that were caused by distracted driving. This is a 16% increase over the last four years. And, as you might guess, the most significant contributor to the rise in numbers is the cell phone. The spokesman for CDOT stated, “Those who believe in multitasking, that’s a myth. You can’t be 100 percent focused on driving while you’re looking away at passengers or looking at your phones.”
Similarly, how many times have you found yourself attempting to talk with your spouse but realize that you are in competition – competing with the newspaper, the TV, the computer, the I-pad, and certainly, the cell phone? How valued do you feel when you are vying for his or her attention but you are not even able to see the whites of their eyes, as they are focused elsewhere? At one time or another, we have all found ourselves in that situation – and we don’t like it.
Yet, I can’t help but wonder – how frequently our significant others (spouse, kids, relatives) have felt unimportant because our own eyes were distracted and we failed to give them our undivided attention? 15, 307 crashes due to distractions in one year in one state is a frightening number. (As a side note, nationally that number is 1.6 million accidents) If similar statistics were compiled concerning relationships that had crashed and burned due to our distractedness, we might find them equally startling.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my most important relationship to be in danger of crashing because I take my eyes off of it during a critical moment. Let’s make a concerted effort this week to begin to put to the side those things that are distracting us from the one’s whom we love.