There is a lot of talk about multi-tasking these days. Are women better than men at multi-tasking? Does multi-tasking affect efficiency and performance?

We know we have amazingly talented parents who can multi-task many things at once but there is one thing we never want to see multi-tasked.

Not only is this task illegal combined with others but it puts your children’s lives in very real danger. Can you guess what it is yet?

Driving and doing anything on your phone cannot be multitasked at any time! When you factor in the extra risks that happen when children and traffic come together at drop off and pick up times, using your phone is much more than a criminal act; it puts precious lives at risk.

It may be tempting to go on your phone because the traffic is slow so you think you are safe from an accident that would cause you a serious injury as a driver, and you may be right. However, you can easily cause a life-threatening injury to a child and the resulting mental anguish would last a lot longer than any physical injury you experience as the driver. When you use your phone while driving, you are putting innocent lives are at risk.

We have staff on supervision at all the crossing points but there is nothing stopping children becoming distracted or excited by seeing a friend or parent and suddenly running out into the traffic. It only takes a couple of seconds so even glancing at your phone during these times is not good enough.

If you are still reading this (thank you) then you may find these facts interesting:

1.       You are 23% more likely to have an accident if you are using your phone in any way while driving.

2.       When you use your phone while driving you have the equivalent reflexes and driving ability of someone who has drunk four beers!

3.       Your children are watching. Even though they may not be old enough to drive yet, they are watching you all the time. If they see you using your phone and driving, they will certainly be copying your behaviour when they get their license. You may be getting away with driving and using your phone now but you will be putting your children’s lives in danger when it is their turn to drive.

You may be wondering why we are once again talking to you about this. Unfortunately, it is because we receive multiple complaints from distraught parents on a regular basis. These are parents who know the dangers and can’t believe that other parents are still using their phones while driving.

For all you parents and caregivers who safely drive without looking at or using your phone – thank you. We appreciate the love you show others by not putting their safety at risk.