We are nearing the end of the #PutYourPhoneDownChallenge and we have a lot on our minds.
It only takes ONE second of looking at your phone to:
- Run into a pedestrian or cyclist
- Run a red light
- Veer into oncoming traffic
- Kill someone by crashing head-on into their car
- Seriously hurt yourself and those traveling with you by crashing into someone or something
It only takes ONE.
On the other hand, it only takes one person putting their phone down to avoid all of this.
Distracted driving is a serious epidemic that needs to be stopped.
A couple of things that have worked well for us this month:
- Pushing play on a podcast before starting the car
- Placing phone in a bag in the backseat so it’s unreachable
- Putting phone on Do Not Disturb while driving
- Starting Google Maps navigation before backing out of the driveway
- Making any important calls sitting in the car in either driveway or parking space.
- Pulling over to the side of the road if/when you need to read or send a text message
- Having a playlist with music I love so there is no need to mess with my phone
- Focusing on the road – it’s amazing how much better I have driven with no distractions!
The purpose of all of our monthly challenges is to make small changes over the course of a month that will eventually have a big impact.
Darren Hardy wrote the book The Compound Effect and said, “The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices”.
He goes on to say that when most people take on a small challenge they quit after the 8th day. Whether it’s starting to exercise, eating healthier or saving money, most people quit before they have time to turn this new challenge into a habit. What most people fail to recognize is that these small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference.
We got a lot of inspiration from Darren Handy’s book. Another idea he shares really caught our attention, “The most challenging aspect of the Compound Effect is that we have to keep working away for a while, consistently and efficiently, before we can begin to see the payoff. Our grandparents knew this, though they didn’t spend their evenings glued to the TV watching infomercials about how to have thin thighs in thirty days or a real estate kingdom in six months. I bet your grandparents worked six days a week, from sunup to sundown, using the skills they learned in their youth and repeatedly throughout their life. They knew the secret was hard work, discipline, and good habits”.
This is so true! Talking to my grandma about the challenge and she said, “Why are people using their phones in the car? That makes no sense!”
I’m so happy to report that it’s worked. This is by far the most important challenge we’ve taken on so far and also the most eye-opening. To realize I was not only putting myself in danger, but also my sweet baby in the backseat, as well as other drivers really makes my heart hurt.
I’m so glad we decided to take this on and give it an honest effort. I’m happy to say this is not just a challenge that will last for the month of July, but one we plan to continue forevermore.
Most importantly, we’ve learned IT CAN WAIT.
Any phone call, text message, Instagram notification or Marco Polo can wait.
Nothing is more important than someone’s life – including your own. Hopefully, this challenge has changed a couple of minds and helped us all be a little better when it comes to putting our phones down in the car.
Huge thanks to our favorite car dealership, Ken Garff, for sponsoring this month’s challenge and supporting such a worthy cause.
Visit a Ken Garff Dealership Near You:
Alfa Romeo 198 E 500 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Audi Lehi 3455 North Digital Drive
Lehi, UT 84043
Ferrari of Salt Lake City 543 State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Jaguar Downtown Salt Lake 150 E 500 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Ken Garff Buick GMC 900 W. Riverdale Rd.
Ogden, UT 84405
Ken Garff Chevrolet 548 East 1000 South
American Fork, UT 84003
Ken Garff American Fork Ford 597 East 1000 South
American Fork, UT 84003
Ken Garff Genesis 717 Southwest Temple St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Ken Garff Honda Downtown 900 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Ken Garff Honda of Orem 195 E. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
Ken Garff Honda Riverdale 950 West Riverdale Road
Ogden, UT 84405
Ken Garff Hyundai 717 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Ken Garff Hyundai Southtowne 10770 South Auto Mall Drive
Sandy, UT 84070
Ken Garff Nissan of Orem 285 W. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
Ken Garff Nissan Riverdale 615 West Riverdale Road
Riverdale, UT 84405
Ken Garff Nissan Salt Lake 777 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Ken Garff Porsche 3425 N. Digital Drive
Lehi, UT 84043
Ken Garff St. George Ford 145 W. Hilton Drive
Saint George, UT 84770
Ken Garff St. George Lincoln 145 W. Hilton Drive
Saint George, UT 84770
Ken Garff West Valley Ford 4091 West 3500 South
West Valley, UT 84120
Ken Garff Used 3500 S. Bangerter HWY
West Valley City, UT 84120
Ken Garff Volkswagen 115 East University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
Ken Garff Volvo Cars 525 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Ken Garff West Valley Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat 4175 W 3500 South
West Valley City, UT 84120
Land Rover Centerville 155 South Frontage Road
Centerville, UT 84014
Land Rover Downtown Salt Lake 150 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Maserati of Salt Lake City 198 E. 500 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Mercedes-Benz of Salt Lake City 575 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
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