Distracted Driving and Social Shaming

As a parent many things worry me and many parents live in a constant state of anxiety, thinking at least 100 times a day about their children. From your child's well being like are they healthy, to their diet are they getting their 5 a day? To their emotional state, is my child happy? To the influence technology has on our children's lives and behaviour. The list of parental worry triggers is endless. Do you think about your child when driving?

At the forefront of most parents minds is safety, this is the thing that causes the most amount of parental stress. No parent would directly put their child in harms way, you would ever let your child jump down the stairs wearing roller boots, run with a sharp knife or run across a busy road. So why do we put our kids in danger when they are in our cars?

#ILoveYouEnough Never to touch my phone when driving

You bring a mini human into this world and vow to protect it as long as you live, but many of us are putting the most precious things in our lives in danger everyday! School runs, trip to the parks, piano practise.....every time you put your child in the car you are putting their lives in your hands and the hands of complete strangers. So why would you use your mobile phone while driving? Distracted driving kills 500 children globally everyday, that is 500 families who have lost the most precious thing in their lives because we could not wait 10 minutes to answer a call, reply to text or to even change a song. Is anyone's life worth a text, a snap chat to your mate or even taking your eyes off the road for a second to change the song? NEVER

In a society where child protection is an important factor in everyone's minds, why do we continue to use our mobile phone in the car? We would never drink and then drive our kids to football practise. Parents are not the only people who should crush the habit of touching their mobile phones when driving, this issue relates to everyone in society who sits behind the wheel of a vehicle. Anyone person who drives on our roads has a social and legal obligation to drive safely at all times - Even if you are alone in the car, you are never alone on the road.

At times when I am in my own car with my little girl buckled up in the back queued in traffic, I can see fellow motorists on their phones. I get snap chats from my friends while they are driving or even see people fly past me with a mobile phone up to their ear! When did society never mind the police allow this? many things are shamed upon in our world, like drink driving, shouting at someone else's child or even speeding outside a school. So why are we allowing our fellow motorists to put us and our children in danger? It is not acceptable to use your phone when driving and this should be the social norm.

Distracted driving now holds legal penalties including points, fines, losing your licence to a prison sentence. Could you live with the death of someone on your conscious? All it takes is to never touch your phone when driving.

#ILoveYouEnough road safety campaign is giving children a voice and they ask their parents and every adult to never to touch their mobile phone while driving. Pledge to protect your child at www.iloveyouenough.com 

#ILoveYouEnough Never to touch my phone when driving

Ask yourself do you love your child enough to never touch your phone while driving? put it in your pocket, glove compartment or even the boot, until you are stopped in a safe convenient place.

#ILoveYouEnough is the brain child of Grainne Kelly, CEO of BubbleBum Car Booster Seat. A parent and a road safety campaigner, Grainne has made it her mission to help save lives on our roads.

My child is worth it! is yours?