Quinn on Glee Return: Texting And Driving Dumbest Thing I Ever Did

Glee's winter cliffhanger left the audience wondering what happened to Quinn after her texting and driving crash at the end of the episode. Some leaks from the set raised questions about what the consequences might be for Quinn after this all to common mistake: Would she survive? Would she be injured? Would any injuries be permanent?

Last night, Glee returned and answered some – but maybe not all – of those questions. Quinn survived, but with a potentially severe spinal cord injury that left her without the use of her legs. Quinn hopes for a recovery that would allow her to walk again, but the course of the episode left viewers wondering what the likelihood of such a recovery might be.

"Texting and driving was the dumbest thing I ever did…"

– Quinn on last night's Glee episode

Texting and driving is dumb. You're taking your eyes off the road for 5 seconds… 10 seconds… maybe even longer. At 60 miles per hour you cover 440 feet in 5 seconds — nearly a football field and a half. In 10 seconds, you've gone nearly 900 feet (three football fields).

But chances are you have done it. Or a friend driving you has done. Or even your parent or grandparent driving you has done it. You've checked a text, an email, made a phone call, been fatigued or sleepy, munched on a burger and fries, put on makeup, or simply "zoned out" for a moment while driving.

Distracted driving accidents can happen to you or a loved one. CNN reported that in 2009, more than half-a-million people were involved in distracted driving crashes and nearly 5,500 people were killed.

In 2010, the Huffington Post compared the risks of distracted driving to risks of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and showed that distracted driving was much more dangerous than drinking and driving.

• Drivers are 2 times more likely to cause a crash if texting than if drinking
• Texting drivers need 6 times as much distance to stop as a drunk driver
• Texting drivers gaze at their mobile device for an average of 5 seconds – more than 440 feet at highway speed

To combat the distracted driving problem a group of more than 750 trial attorneys from the country have volunteered to speak at schools in all 50 states to spread the word about distracted driving dangers to young drivers. The group has set a goal of speaking to more than 100,000 students in one week during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month (April 2012).

Please don't put yourself and others at risk.

• More at 60ForSafety
• More at End Distracted Driving
• More at the Casey Feldman Foundation
• More on Distracted Driving

(c) Copyright 2012 Brett A. Emison

Follow @BrettEmison on Twitter.