Have you ever tried laughing and coughing at the same time? No? Well, even if you did, you would fail. And, laughing and coughing simultaneously does not even require the same amount of concentration as texting while driving does. It equals drunken driving, hence is illegal in some places. Therefore, unless you are putting a status update that you are about to run some people over, do not mix the two.

Contrary to the myth that multitasking saves time, it actually takes longer to text and even longer time to reach your destination. Both the activities require a different mindset, therefore, switching hastily between the two can exhaust your mind, leading to poor decision making.

When you abruptly swap, you suffer “Inattention Blindness” and are unable to register even the obvious things. It is a distraction, and even your sixth sense cannot help you while your eyes are juggling between the phone screen and the windscreen. It overwhelms the frontal cortex of your brain, leading to increased errors, heightened stress-levels, reduced productivity and dampens your creativity. It can have devastating consequences that can not only damage your life but also shatter the lives of many families.

Moreover, you are not doing yourself or the person you are texting while driving any favour, as it can affect your relationship by causing miscommunication. People in your life deserve exclusive attention and so does your steering wheel. However, so engrossed you were with your phone that you are not even sure that the traffic light you just passed was red or green. How reckless and insensitive it is on your part to endanger the life of others for typing an “ROFL.”

But beware; according to a Huffington Post, “a sensor gun will be able to detect you are texting while driving even before you see it coming. When a cell phone is being used, it emits radio frequencies that can be picked up and detected. The frequency varies depending on what the phone is being used for—data, voice calling and, of course, texting—which can give a person away if they happen to be secretly tapping away at their phone out of view of any passersby.”

Therefore, if you are still confused whether to text or not while driving, then God help you; unless of course, you want to meet God in person.