Editorial: Texting driver lucky to survive

A crash at Paradise Valley at the weekend is a stark reminder for Rotorua people of the dangers of texting while driving.

A young woman ended up at the bottom of a ravine after her car flipped, end on end, several times when she failed to take a corner and left the road. She was texting at the time and police say her seatbelt saved her from serious injury or worse.

It didn't need to happen and on a windy, sometimes narrow road like Paradise Valley Springs Rd, if you text while you drive, you're an idiot.

It's said we should learn from our mistakes and a crash is a pretty tough way to learn a lesson. It also serves as a serious reminder of why we have a law that bans texting while driving.

We may think we can do both at once but the proof debunking that is starting to mount.

Thankfully, in this latest crash, the driver lived to tell the tale and no other car was involved but others involved in crashes linked to texting and driving haven't been so lucky.

Paula Jessep died last December, just before Christmas. She was believed to have been texting when her car collided head-on with another, injuring the occupants.

Her death prompted her sister, Rotorua's Clare Smith, to speak out about the dangers of texting and driving in a bid to prevent another family unnecessarily losing a loved one.

Mrs Smith will be disappointed to hear of the Paradise Valley crash. Her message shouldn't be falling on deaf ears.

She wants people to think twice before picking up their cellphones while they're driving. It's not just about drivers putting themselves in danger by making the wrong decision - they put everyone else around them at risk.

What do you think?

email editor@dailypost.co.nz, text DP then your message to 021 241 4568, or write to editor, PO Box 1442, Rotorua.