RP Roundtable

This is a transcript of the film, included for screen readers and the visually impaired.

This is Liberty Mutual Responsibility Project.

I think I'm very good at texting and driving. So second nature.

We're teenagers, we text, like, every second of our lives.

A lot of people, not just young people don't really understand how dangerous texting and driving can be.

Some of my friends tell me that I'm actually a better driver when I'm talking on the phone.

In a day, I'll probably send, like, 15, 20 texts from my car.

I've adapted a few methods. If I need to bring it up, I'll bring it to eye level.

You can use your peripherals as just kind of to see what you're typing.

Sometimes there's the no looking at all, you just like type out whatever you need.

I don't like to text and drive. I will admit that I do it sometimes, but I try not to. Him on the other hand-

Distractibility leads to 80% of the accidents and it's really something that can be preventable.

Today was really about a family and getting a chance to hear their stories.

As clichÈ as it might sound, my kids are my life. My children are, uh, 17 and 18.

They don't understand you know, the dangers that are involved and how fast an accident can happen and how devastating an accident can be.

My dad always talks to us about it because he loves me and my brother.

He doesnít want to see that happen to us.

My family's gone through a lot.

Two years ago, my wife passed away and loosing my wife, um, was the most emotionally devastating thing that could possibly have happened to our family.

If anything happened to either one of them I'd be, I donít know if I could recover from it.

I cut out a lot of articles for my children, whether its from a cell phone or texting while driving because you see it all the time in the newspaper or you see it on television.

They said I was just texting and that changed their life and somebody else's life for the worst.

When you see the articles, do you read them or do you just kind of go over there and go-

Yeah I, I read them but it's-

When you read these types of things- It's just-

I know that it's like dangerous, but that's for them.

Like, like, they shouldn't have been texting and driving, but I'm really good at it.

I remember being his age and your feeling more nothing can happen to you me, it's not going to happen to me

And thatís why I cut out these articles and I say, well it does happen to people.

I mean I text too but I can, it's hard for me even when I'm sitting like still

Like I have to stop and text and obviously it takes a little more timeÖ

[Laughter]

I'm not that good.

Even me, so-

But I'll admit, I got a ticket, not for texting, but for uh, having my phone and, uh, driving. It is a temptation.

It's, it's very tempting. -Yeah

Like some people can just like really handle it.

I can still pay attention to the road, check my blind spot and still be texting and driving.

It really doesnít affect me at all.

Do you agree? Do you think it doesnít affect driving?

Allison: I do.

My friends have gotten into, my own boyfriend, they've gotten into car accidents over it, I know.

It's a distractions. It's dangerous.

So what would it take to get you to stop texting and driving?

It would probably take me to get into my own car accident.

So you would have to be driving and actually have an accident?

So if, let me just ask you a little quiz here.

And do you think driving and drinking is equivalent to driving and texting?

No!

No?!

Absolutely not.

There are studies that show that texting and driving is equivalent to having a blood alcohol level of .08.

It doesnít really occur that that could even be in the same ballpark at all.

So here we are. We've talked about a lot today.

It all comes back to responsibility. What's responsibility mean to you?

You're putting yourself at danger, the people in your car and you're putting a lot

a lot more than just yourself at danger.

Given the fact, I mean the loss that you've had

Does that have any impact on

thinking about just how unpredictable things are and and doing everything to keep everyone safe?

We all know what loss is.

To take a chance to send a message to a friend.

Thatís what I think would be really unfair if you would be taken away from me.

And then all the people that it would affect

your aunts, your uncles, your grandparents, your friends-

What consequences are you willing to put up with?

Are you willing to put up with me losing my house?

No college, cars being taken away. It's not just affecting you.

I, I can see it in, it's going into you and you're zoning out a little bit.

I know you understand that. I know that gets through to you.

I understand that it's all an interconnected web

and I understand that my actions will affect a lot more people than just myself.

So I, like, I'm willing to start turning off my phone, but-

It's going to be hard.

Yeah.

I think throughout the conversation we got to him.

I know he understands completely that my dad cares about him and wants only his safety.

Dr.What I saw in Charles, I think he really softened a bit and and took something in

and will try how to change one aspect of his behavior.

So why do we do a little, little gamesmanship here.

You guys get your cell phones.

[Allison chuckles]

And we're going to see how quickly you can text.

You're gonna text the word responsibility. Go!

Ooh. Oops!

Allison: I did it.

We got a winner.

Allison: Donít tell him that.

Girls are always better at texting.