It was right after I got off work Friday and I was driving on Broadway in Quincy and came to a red light at 18th Street. The SUV next to me was waiting for the green arrow. I glanced over and saw the driver on her cell phone sending a text message with her children in the car with her.

The green turn arrow came on and there she was holding up 5 cars wanting to turn left simply because she was texting and not paying attention. Oh she finally realized she had the green arrow and off she went with only one other car able to get to turn left because of her delay in leaving. The other three cars had to wait on the light again.

In New York, where I grew up, she would have had five horns blasting to get moving followed by shouting from the drivers behind her. But this is Quincy, we are a polite and caring people or so I thought. It's bad enough when you are driving alone in the car and using your cell phone especially to text someone (which is illegal in Illinois), but when you do it with kids in the car as well? I'm questioning the caring part now.

My God, how important is that message compared to the safety of you and those kids? This led me to thinking that we now have devices that will not allow a driver to start his or her car if they have been drinking. Why can't we come up with a device that would prohibit cell phones from working while the car is in gear? Think of the savings. Your insurance would be reduced significantly with less accidents occurring and more importantly less injuries and deaths occurring.

No call or text should be more important than protecting yourself, your family and the others around you while you are driving. Distracted driving is national epidemic we are suffering from and it needs to end before you are no longer around to make that next text message. If you don't believe me, go ahead and text your way into an accident.

More From 100.9 The Eagle, The Tri-States' Classic Rock Station