You know it could save a life, so why is it so hard to do? Mind control.

You can do it.

You know you shouldn't text and drive.

It might even be illegal in your state.

But tons of people still do it.

In a 2013 survey, almost half of all high school students admitted to texting while driving. Crazy.

The average time your eyes are away from the road while texting is five seconds. That doesn't seem like much, but if you're going 55 miles per hour, that's enough time to cross a football field.

Nearly 20% of serious car crashes in 2012 involved texting or some other form of distracted driving. That's a big number.

But you probably knew all of that. And yet, when that ring tone goes off, you feel compelled to respond. You worry about what you might be missing. Your brain is conditioned to respond.

Every time you ignore it, you get stronger. Your mind gets better. You become more able to resist temptation.

Medieval monks fasted for weeks at a time. All you have to do is not reach for that mind-control box.

You can do it.

And what should you do if someone is texting while driving and you're a passenger? Take that phone away! Offer to text for them. Or demand that they let you out.

Be safe out there.

Original video is from the Atlantic. Thumbnail image is from Flickr user Ryan Harvey, used under the Creative Commons license.

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