That brings me to the primary reason that parents are getting manual transmission vehicles for their children. The theory is that their hands will be too busy steering the vehicle and shifting gears to be texting. It does make sense doesn’t it? For all of us who have driven a stick shift there are a bunch of things going on to get the vehicle to go and stop without stalling the darn thing. New drivers should be dedicating 100% of their attention to the roads and operating the vehicle. Putting them in a vehicle that doesn’t shift gears for them really forces them to devote their attention to the task at hand and not who is going to the party Friday night.

Deep down I wish we could just tell our kids about the dangers of using their cell phones while driving and that would be enough of a deterrent for them to not do it. Reality tells me that they will do it because they will also speed and drive without their seat-belts even though we have told them not to.

With a son getting close to sixteen this story really caught my attention. I have already begun talking to my son about driving when we are in the car together. I try to point out things so he can see potential issues on the roads before he has to make an emergency maneuver. Small things like looking at other drivers’ eyes can help keep you out of a dangerous situation.

Even though he doesn’t have a cell phone (because he doesn’t need one) the day will come when he does own one and I want him to know how dangerous the combination of driving and cell phone use can be. Deep down parents everywhere hope that they have prepared their young adults for these challenges and that they make the right decisions.