'Safe Driving' Blessing Ring Reminds: Drive With Care

"Driving is a privilege. Life is a blessing."

I’m stopped at a red light, and I look to my right. It’s probably something I’ve seen hundreds of times. Yet, today I feel anger boil up in me. I am literally tempted to roll down my window and say, “Get the *$#& off your phone!” Granted, this person is not in motion while texting. Chances are you may have even done this yourself. I know I have, so I guess I’m a hypocrite. We all know the rules, the statistics, the facts, so why do we do it?

In this fast-paced world where we are all expected to be connected 24-7, I am sure you feel the same pull I do. We want to make sure we don’t miss that important email, text or phone call we’ve been waiting for, and, in some cases, are expected to respond to immediately.

The ugly truth is it’s really an act of selfishness to engage in these distractions that pull us away from concentrating on the road while driving. We aren’t thinking about the potential consequences; we are merely in the moment. It’s funny: As my older son began driving, I would tell him all the time, “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

Reminding one driver at a time

How do we change the world? Perhaps, just like we started with improving our environment “one plastic bag at a time,” maybe we can start with one driver at a time.

So, in order to make a difference, Whitney Howard Designs came up with the Safe Driving Blessing Ring. On one side it says, “Safe Driving Blessing Ring," and on the other it says, “Be Cautious and Aware, Drive with Care.” It can serve as an anchor, a reminder that driving is a privilege and we need to do it with care.

It would be disingenuous to say that it’s only seeing distracted drivers that has me this inspired. Sadly, I think we don’t have to look very far to find someone whose life has been seriously affected by a careless driver. We all probably know someone who has been in this unfortunate position, and it seems our young drivers are more at risk than anyone else.

In fact, they call the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day the “hundred deadliest days on the road.” This is because our teens are driving more at this time, with prom, then graduation celebrations, good weather, being out of school and more time to be in a car. I’ve already begun to see the prom pictures appear on my friend’s Facebook timelines, and I want to send each and every one of those drivers a Safe Driving Blessing Ring. We all need one.

The idea is, if the Safe Driving Blessing Ring is hanging off your keychain, you will look down (when you're not driving) and be reminded to drive with care. This way all of the beautiful pictures we take can be happy memories of life’s moments and milestones.

Let’s keep our pictures and our lives intact as we travel life’s road. Please remember to Be cautious and aware: Drive with care.

With love,

Whitney