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November 1 – 14, 2014
Community Commentary
Letters to the editor
Help end texting while driving BY ALBERTO GUTIER DIRECTOR OF THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY
Our mobile devices have become so much a part of our lives that many of us would be lost without them. In the palms of our hands, we have the power to text, email, tweet or send a selfie to our friends. We instinctively reach for our cellphones when we hear a ring, chirp or feel the vibration. How can we fight back against the urge to reach for our smart phone at the wrong time? It’s time to get the #X out and work together toward finally ending texting while driving. By sharing #X on your social networks before you get behind the wheel of a car, you’re letting your friends and family know that you’re about to drive and can’t respond until you safely reach your destination. You can also use #X in a text conversation to pause it until you arrive. You’re also letting your network know you have committed to not text and drive. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Here’s why. The initial aim of the It Can Wait campaign to end texting while driving was to raise awareness about the risks associated with texting behind the wheel. Since then, It Can Wait has evolved into a social movement focused on changing behaviors. And now, we’re shifting our focus to solutions to prevent the behavior with new tools like #X. What we’ve learned is that when friends and family share their commitment to never text and drive, it makes a difference. Sharing the message that no text is worth a life encourages others to follow suit. Social norm research we sponsored showed that a word from a friend could be a powerful influence on someone’s decision not to text and drive. Seventy-eight percent of teens said they’re likely not to text and drive if friends tell them it’s wrong or stupid. Now, four years after the first pledge,
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Letter in support of Yarbrough
more than 5 million pledges have been made to never text and drive. More than 2,500 organizations along with tens of thousands of individuals have joined the movement to raise awareness and change behavior. It Can Wait advocates have participated in hundreds of events across the country like school assemblies, civic club meetings and even dance performances. In Arizona, Gov. Brewer proclaimed Sept. 19 to be “It Can Wait Day of Action,” encouraging our state’s drivers to take the pledge and spread the word. We’ve also learned that texting while driving isn’t just a fleeting behavior. It’s a habit—a very bad habit that’s hard to break. The good news is that technology can help. Apps like AT&T’s DriveMode are simple to use and help us keep our commitment to never text and drive. When activated, these apps block text messages while you are driving and send responses that let those trying to reach you know you are driving and that you will respond when you arrive at your location. These apps also spread the word, letting others know you are serious about your commitment. While our efforts have produced results—especially in greater awareness of the problem—we have more to do. I would like to ask all of you to pledge or recommit to never text and drive. Then, take your pledge up a notch. Share your commitment with family and friends both directly and through your social networks by using #X to connect your efforts with those of other advocates and then share #X before you drive to pause the conversation. Let’s “Get the #X Out” together! Working together, we can share solutions to this problem. We can inspire others to never text and drive.
There are many challenges to our nation’s freedom both within and without these days. The progressives’ version of freedom will come at the cost of one of our most basic freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution— the Free Exercise of Religion. Legal pundits have long argued about what the First Amendment free exercise clause is intended to protect. Sen. Steve Yarbrough, candidate for Senate in LD17, believes the free exercise clause is intended to ensure men and women of faith are able to live out the dictates of their faith without the fear of big government telling them what they can and cannot do. Sen. Yarbrough and the sponsors of SB1062 were vilified for their role in advocating for the passage of the bill. I can’t think of recent times when a proposed bill was so twisted and unjustly maligned. Don’t take my word—rather, take the word of 11 law professors from around the nation, some from the left of center, who signed a letter authored by law professor Douglas Laycock, professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law, urging Gov. Brewer to sign the bill. The law professors signing on the letter were from such prestigious law schools as Harvard Law School, Notre Dame Law School and Stanford Law School. The signers were a diverse group representing both Democrats and Republicans. As so eloquently stated in their letter, SB1062 was merely intended to afford the same level of protection you and I are accorded pursuant to the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, a provision that is increasingly getting short shrift from our courts. If the critics of SB1062 are ultimately successful in pushing men and women of faith out of the public square, which is their ultimate goal, a lot of the good that
Alberto Gutier is the director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
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comes from religious institutions will be undermined. I am a fan of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Center for example. They do a lot of good for a lot of people. Will there come a day when the organization must choose between doing good or following the dictates of their faith? Don’t be so quick to say no—Catholic adoption agencies in states like New York chose to shut their doors rather than violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. I am privileged to call Sen. Yarbrough my friend. He was my mentor during seven of my best years of private practice. I have great respect for his uncompromising stand for life, religious freedom and school choice, issues that I believe are good for our community. He has been married to his wife, Linda, for 46 years. He is an Arizona high school and ASU graduate. He has three grown sons, all college graduates, all married, all fathers to their grandchildren. He and his family are committed to servant leadership. Two of his sons are police officers in this legislative district (Chandler and Gilbert). All of them have served in leadership positions in their community. On the other hand, I wonder what Sen. Yarbrough’s opponent has done for our community? She’s running for state senate of LD17, but what has she done to earn the right for such a position? And in what causes has she engaged herself up to this point? Has she spent 24 years or even one day on an Arizona school board? And she says she is a New York attorney. OK, but why is she not admitted in Arizona? Or maybe she plans to go back to New York if she’s not successful in winning a senate seat. I hope you will stand with me in supporting Steven Yarbrough for senator in Legislative District 17. I will cast my vote for him because of his credentials and his record of achievements for our community. Bert E. Moll
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