Driving is a privilege, not a right, so today I am vowing to change my life for the better and I hope I inspire some of you to do the same. I am guilty of using my cell phone while driving and now that I have been exposed to the ugly truth, I vow to put my cell phone away — at least while I am in the car.

The one statistic that really drove home the point of how dangerous it is to text while driving is that it’s equivalent to driving after having four alcoholic drinks. And driving while on the cell phone cuts down on your peripheral vision. One friend told me that she has gotten all the way home before and doesn’t remember how she got there, just because she was so distracted by the phone.

Some of my friends have even admitted that they are good at texting or talking while driving and it’s “not a problem for them.” But I would hate for any one of them to get hurt or killed in an accident or for them to have hurt or killed someone while they were distracted by using a cell phone.

According to information provided by Nationwide insurance, drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.

I think one of the first steps to making a change is awareness. Tell your loved ones that not only do you refuse to talk on the phone while you are driving, but you don’t want them to call you or text you while they are driving.

I personally believe that nothing is so important that it can’t wait until I get to a safe stopping point to use my phone.

I’m definitely a multi-tasker, so to me using the cell phone was a way to pass the time or to get things done while on the road. But now that I’ve been exposed to the facts, I know for a fact that I could not live with myself if something were to happen to someone if I was driving down the road talking on the phone.

I don’t text while I drive, because texting is new to me since I just got a new iPhone a few months ago. But I do talk on the phone and I am also guilty of looking down at the phone when I get a text or while trying to set my GPS. From now on that will cease to be a function in my life. It’s kind of like quitting smoking, you just have to train yourself for a new habit.

So this is my challenge to all of you. First, if you see me driving around using my cell phone, which I don’t think you will, call me at the number below to tell me that I’m busted. And for all of you, please put down your cell phones while driving and tell your loved ones to do the same. The life you save may just be mine.

Mondee Tilley s a staff reporter for The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.