Everyday it’s the same battle. I’m driving down the road, listening to the radio and then I hear it: the friendly tweet of my phone letting me know I have a text.

That’s when I have the internal conflict of whether I should read the text and reply to it or not.

That thought only lasts about 1.5 seconds.

Of course I read it, because I’m addicted. And so are you. If you don’t text and drive, then you’re a saint. But as for the rest of us, we need help.

First it was your passengers causing distractions. Then came the radio, and after that, eating and driving.

Now, it’s the constant Facebook and Twitter updates, plus texts, emails and phone calls.

We have become so attached to technology that we put it before life itself. It’s an ironic shame.

It’s an epidemic that people have just ignored. Why? We don’t ignore drinking and driving. And according to Reuters, between 2001 and 2007, 16,000 people alone were killed because of texting and driving. Imagine how much that number has increased since then.

Louisiana, along with the majority of the U.S., have banned all drivers from texting and driving, according to the Highway Safety Research and Communications map.

I’ve heard horror stories from EMTs and First Responders about mutilated bodies being pulled from crushed vehicles because they were texting while driving. It still doesn’t stop my urge to grab my phone. So what will?

Do we have to be in horrific accidents that will make us see the light and never text and drive again? I seriously hope not.

Many gadgets have been introduced, such as hands-free devices for phones like Bluetooth and phone mounts to place in your vehicle.

But those devices make this distraction acceptable and it’s not.

I’m not going to blame only you because we all do it. But honestly, I can’t solve this problem. It’s everyone’s problem.

And apparently, even a ban won’t stop us from reading a text that just says “Hey.”

You can’t ignore the fact that people are risking lives, including theirs, every time they pick up a phone when they’re driving.

The easy thing to do is to not do it at all. I know it’s hard, and it may seem silly, but if thousands are dying every year—it isn’t.

Don’t give in to the temptation. Any action while driving is considered a distraction.

We all need to hold ourselves accountable and admit we have a problem. Have your phone on vibrate, face down or turned away from you in a cup holder.

I know we have emergencies and that is the one excuse. But if it is an emergency, the person will call, not text you.

Having your phone near you is okay, but you have to fight the urge when you get a text. If someone is riding with you, have him or her be your car secretary and answer those texts for you.

I know of people that even brag about how good they can text and drive at the same time.

Gee, I should give you a gold star for not giving up your addiction to pay attention to the road.

I’m a mobile death machine on the highway when I text, and from this moment on, I promise I will do my best to not text and drive. It will be hard, but that’s okay.

I doubt many of you will take this promise to heart and will ignore it, but I won’t because I know that one less person texting on the highway means a life spared.