Gracie’s Guide to the Dangers of Distracted Driving by Headline Books / Zoom Into Books

Gracie’s Guide to The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Angie Wilson

Illustrated by Ashley Teets

Gracie’s Guide to The Dangers of Distracted Driving by Angie Wilson illustrated by Ashley Teets copyright ©2019 Angie Wilson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Headline Books. To order additional copies of this book, for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Headline Books, Inc. P.O. Box 52, Terra Alta, WV 26764 www.HeadlineBooks.com Tel: 800-570-5951 Email: mybook@headlinebooks.com Headline Kids is an imprint of Headline Books www.AuthorAngieWilson.com

ISBN-13: 9781946664488

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Special Thanks to Kathrn Kandas from Community Connections for your support and vision for the Gracie Guides Series. It has been immeasurable. Also, thanks to Mercer County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition for your constant support for the ESADD curriculum.

It was absolutely the best day Gracie could remember! She made the highest grade on the big science test (which never happens in that subject), there was no homework (the first time in weeks), and...she just blocked the best kid on the soccer team at after-school practice! She was just soaring. The only thing that would have made her day any better would be a new case for her to solve.

Gracie loved solving mysteries. Maybe it was the fact that she could use her cool super-spy backpack that she keeps full of supplies like notebooks, gel pens, sticky notes, pink Duct Tape, and her fave thing in the world, her binoculars. She loves using every single item in that bag. Or, maybe it was the fact that she gets to wear her long spy coat, hat, and dark sunglasses. I mean, no one would suspect a thing when she arrives dressed like that. But, perhaps the biggest ‘maybe’ is the fact that she gets to nose around in other people’s business. Who wouldn’t love a ‘job’ like that? There hadn’t been a lot of cases for her recently, so she was more than anxious to start a new investigation. But if there’s one thing you need to know about Gracie, she is always looking.

It was 3:45 and her babysitter, Molly, was late! Gracie began to worry. She hated when someone was late to pick her up. There are several reasons for this, number one- it is embarrassing to be the last kid picked up from soccer practice, number two- it always makes her worry that something is wrong when someone is late, but the most important reason is number three- GRACIE IS NOT GOOD AT WAITING! Her coach assured her that everything was ok and that people are late all the time. This still did not stop Gracie from pacing around the field. By the time Molly pulled in at 4:02, Gracie was in a tizzy. “Where in the world have you been?” Gracie shouted, “I mean, you are over thirty minutes late!” Molly apologized over and over and asked the ten-year-old to forgive her. She explained that she had been tied up at college working on a big assignment that is due soon and she simply let the time slip by.

Gracie was not happy with this reason. I mean, who is late because they are doing homework? She could not wrap her mind around how that could happen. She hopped into the car and buckled up. They were late for art class. This class only meets twice a month, and they were not going to get there on time. As they drove by all the fast food restaurants, Gracie’s stomach began to growl. She tried not to think about it, but she just couldn’t help it. “Okay, we have to drive through and get something to eat, I am starving!” Gracie stated. “Your mom gave me money, but I thought we would wait until after your class.” Gracie’s stomach protested so loudly that Molly heard it. They both began to giggle as she pulled into the next drive through. They pulled out and began to chow down on some chicken nuggets and fries as they were talking about their day. Molly’s cell phone buzzed that she had just received a text message. She looked down and saw that it was a friend in her study group. She was holding a drink in one hand, so she started driving with her knee as she picked up the phone and began to read. Gracie was digging into the bag of food, so she didn’t notice the upcoming stop sign. Sadly, Molly didn’t either. She was so distracted that she didn’t even see it. They kept driving right on through. Their vehicle stopped. It had nothing to do with the brakes, but everything to do with the minivan that slammed into them and sent them twirling across the busy intersection. 10

The girls screamed to the top of their lungs when the van hit them. When they stopped, however, there was total silence. They were in shock at what had just happened. A man who had witnessed the accident ran to them to see if they were hurt. He quickly opened the door and as soon as he began to speak, the girls began to cry. Thankfully, the minivan had hit them in the front, and not on the side where Gracie was sitting. The girls were not injured; the seatbelts and airbags had done their job. Molly was crying so hard she couldn’t talk to the man. He pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1, and within a few minutes a policeman was there. They found out that the people in the minivan (a man and a woman) were not hurt either. Gracie called her mom to tell her what had happened.

Molly got out of their vehicle and sat down on the sidewalk. She put her head in her hands and continued to cry. An ambulance arrived and thoroughly checked everyone out. The worst injuries were just minor little cuts and scratches.

Gracie sat down beside Molly and waited on her mom to arrive. Boy, her mom was a mess when she got out of her car. She was crying worse than Molly, well, maybe not that bad, but you could hear her a mile away. After a few minutes of hugs, she asked them what happened. “It’s all my fault!” Molly cried out as she dropped her head into her hands again. Gracie wasn’t sure about the cause of the accident, so she didn’t say a word. “Tell me what happened,” Mom inquired. Molly began to blurt out in between sobs that she was not paying attention to the road. She stated that she was eating and talking. She said the biggest mistake was that she was reading a text. She explained that she had a drink in her hand and secured the steering wheel with her knee. Gracie’s mom put her arm around Molly for a moment. She explained that she was so thankful that no one was hurt. “It could have been a deadly decision to pick up that phone,” Mom said, “You know that there is not any text message that is worth risking your life over, or someone else’s life. I trusted you to be more responsible than that. I know you would never hurt Gracie, but if that minivan would have hit the side of your vehicle, who knows what might have happened.” The words hit Molly hard. She realized that Gracie could have been hurt very badly. The policeman asked her what happened and she told him everything. It was not easy to admit what she had done, but she wanted to be honest. 14

The policeman lectured everyone on distracted driving. Molly could have been charged with reckless driving. Instead, he cited her with a hefty ticket for running the stop sign. It would cost her a lot of money. He required that Molly attend a class that teaches drivers the importance of being a focused driver. She gladly agreed to go. This accident would change Molly’s life. Her insurance rate would go up due to her responsibility in causing this accident and because her insurance company had to pay the repairs for both vehicles involved.

A few weeks later, Molly came to visit Gracie. She had learned so much about distracted driving in the class. Forty five percent of car crashes occur at intersections where the cause is the result of running a stop sign or red light. The latest statistics say that 11 teens die every day because of texting and driving. This is something that is preventable. This is something that shouldn’t be a problem. She discovered that over ninety percent of teen drivers know that it’s not safe to text and drive, yet they do it anyway. She decided that she was going to do something about it by taking her message to everyone she could. She volunteered to speak to young drivers in all the schools in their county.

As Gracie sat and listened to Molly, she couldn’t believe her ears. It was hard to believe that so many preventable accidents happen every day. As she listened to the statistics, she thought about what could have happened to them, the accident could have been a whole lot worse. They could have been sent to the hospital now ... or worse. She never thought that reading a simple short little message could be deadly. She felt bad for Molly because she knew that she would never do something that would hurt someone, but she did.

She realized that there was no mystery in what she learned today. Gracie determined that she would speak up if she saw a driver try to pick up a phone. She didn’t have to use any of her super-spy supplies to figure out the powerful lesson...DISTRACTED DRIVING IS DANGEROUS!

Buckle Up and Speak Up! meone o s h it w g in id r e If you ar g, in iv r d d n a g in t x who is te them it is d in m e r d n a p u speak driving n o s u c o f o t t n importa and safety.

Distracted driv ing by texting can be just as d angerous as driving under th e influence of drugs and alcoh ol. Taken fr om The Departm ent of Transport National Highway ation’s Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Word Search

intersections dangerous preventable responsible accident 24

vehicle policeman airbag seatbelt distracted

stop sign text message cell phone art class homework

Molly sunglasses soccer

Draw a picture of you driving safely.

e f a s y a t “S e h t d n i h be t u p l e e wh e n o h p r u yo away!”

Crossword Puzzle

Accross 2 What word is used to describe distracted driving at the end of the story? 4 What kind of vehicle hit Gracie and Molly? 5 What is one item Gracie wears when solving mysteries? 7 Gracie is not good at what? 9 What sport does Gracie play in the story? 10 Where do 45% of car crashes occur?

Down 1 What distracted Molly while she was driving? (two words) 3 Who was late in the beginning of the story? 6 What test did Gracie do well on? 8 Where did Molly volunteer to speak about preventable accidents?

Find your way through the maze to get home safe!

Write 2 reasons you know texting while driving is dangerous.

___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ 29

Distracted Driving When Texting Turns Tragic When people text while behind the wheel, they’re focusing their attention — and often their eyes — on something other than the road. In fact, driving while texting (DWT) can be more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Texting from behind the wheel is against the law in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Many more states are trying to put DWT regulations into action. Even in states without specific laws, if you swerve all over the place, cut off cars, or bring on a collision because of texting, you could still be charged with reckless driving. That may mean a ticket, a lost license, or even jail time if you cause a fatal crash.

Tips for Texting It’s hard to live without texting. So the best thing to do is manage how and when we text, choosing the right time and place. Here are three ways to make sure your messaging doesn’t interfere with your focus — or your life: 1. Always put your phone in an easily accessible place, like a specific pouch or pocket in your backpack or purse so it’s easy to find. 2. If you need to text right away, stop what you’re doing or pull off the road. 3. Turn off your phone completely when you’re doing anything that requires your full attention. That way there’s less temptation to answer calls or texts. To avoid an injury — whether it’s a cut on your face or a bruise to your ego — or a horrible tragedy, try to use your best judgment. Text only when you’re not putting yourself or others in harm’s way. And if you’re riding in a car with a driver who is texting, ask him or her to stop or try not to ride with that person again. © 1995- . The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth®. Reprinted with permission.

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