AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Every single day there are more than 15 people killed at the hands of distracted drivers. Even after the cell phone ban went into effect here in Amarillo, people continue to use their phones and drive while distracted.
Judy Maples still remembers the day a car drove straight into her Amarillo home. The driver was texting on his cell phone and did not realize the road ended and flew straight inside the home, nearly killing himself and her father. The firemen at the scene said that if her father would have been in his bed, even though the car missed it, he would have died just from the pressure of the impact.
"When you come that close to something happening to you or somebody you love, it kind of wakes you up," said Maples as she stresses the importance of paying attention when driving. "I've been a lot more careful."
Judy is not the only person affect by distracted drivers. In 2011, over 3,000 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. Even last week alone, there were five fatalities on the roads in Amarillo.
Even though this is a new ban and it will take time for people to get adjusted, we can only hope it doesn't take more accidents and more lives lost before things change.
