So very sad, the news of the two women who were killed at the Matilda’s Corner bus stop last Monday evening.

Over the years I have witnessed the great care, patience and frustration exhibited by men and women who must negotiate that stretch of sidewalk between the Jamaica Society for the Blind on Old Hope Road and the next main junction at Hope Road.

It’s a long road made even more difficult to navigate because of the unevenness of the sidewalks and the occasional stree-light pole which sits in the middle of it. It’s difficult to manoeuvre if you’re sighted. It’s a minefield when you’re blind.

Having safely crossed the street, I can only imagine that Ms Esmerelda Evans must have breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the bus stop and began her wait for transportation home. My only hope is that both ladies didn’t know what happened and that their deaths were instantaneous.

The driver of the car, according to the police, reported that she was exhausted and had fallen asleep at the wheel. We know that she must be going through the most trying time of her life dealing with the reality of being responsible for the death of two women and the injury of five others.

So this is a good time as any to preach a little about safe driving practices. Twice in one week I’ve watched with horror as an oncoming car driven by — no, not the taxicab driver creating a third lane which I’ve grown accustomed to — but a woman with very large sunglasses intent on sending text messages while driving and drifting into my lane. I didn’t want to frighten her with a blast of the horn; it may end up with her running off the road, into me, into the people at the bus stop, all manner of things can happen. None of them good. So I simply slowed down, and hugged the curb and hoped that she returned her eyes to the road in good enough time to avoid an accident. Give it up, ladies, please.

I too am guilty of using my phone while driving and I’ll check my e-mail when I’m stuck in traffic or at a stop light. But then my children take the phone away from me because I usually don’t notice that the light has changed and they’re sooooo embarrassed when the drivers behind me start to blow their horns. It’s annoying as hell, but the children mean well, and it’s a good habit for them to develop.

These are the facts.

Texting is the new way to communicate. Recent research from Nielsen indicates that people under age 45 now send and receive three times more text messages than calls on their cellphones. A recent American survey found that 77 per cent of respondents said they’ve texted or sent mobile e-mail while driving; 41 per cent while skiing, horseback riding, or biking; 11 per cent during sex; and 16 per cent while at a funeral.

Car and Driver magazine released a study that compared the length of time it takes to brake when sober, when texting and when drunk. The results: 0.04 extra seconds before hitting the brakes while drunk, versus 0.68 seconds for a texting driver (at standard highway speeds, this translates to a difference of 66 feet).

Such findings are particularly unnerving, given the prevalence of the practice. An American survey found that 25 per cent of motorists admitted to DWT, and the figure leaps to almost 60 per cent for drivers between 16 and 19 years old.

“The human brain isn’t equipped to concentrate on two things simultaneously,” says neuroscientist René Marois, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. In brain scan studies, Marois found that the prefrontal cortex lights up for a longer time in people performing two mental tasks at the same time. This illustrates how the brain slows down reaction time.

Social experts also warn about an eerie disconnect when we’re out with our BFFs while texting friends, family, and the office. “There is a certain degree of ‘absent presence’ associated with the use of mobile phones and other personal media in the presence of others,” notes researcher Scott Campbell, PhD, assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan.

“People disengage, or pay more attention to the person on the phone than to the people who are physically present.”

While being exhausted and falling asleep at the wheel is something we might have little control over, texting while driving is a conscious decision. Until all manner of hand-held gadgets — cellphones, PDAs and electronic entertainment devices — are banned behind the wheel, let’s jump on the Oprah bandwagon and all agree to stop Driving While Texting (DWT). The next time you have the urge to send a text message to someone or read/respond to an e-mail while driving ask yourself: R_U_AN_ID10T?

scowicomm@ gmail.com