Don’t text and drive. It’s as simple as that. The allurement to check that tiny box lighting up next to you as you drive seems to always get the best of us, but the fact of it is that it can cost us so much more than just an unchecked text message.

I know how easy it can be to pick up your cellphone and check social media at a stoplight or change the song in the middle of the road but we aren’t as sneaky as we think. All it takes is one extra second of looking at your phone to not be focusing on the road at the right time.

We’ve heard the no-texting-and-driving-speech multiple times in multiple ways. Honestly, it feels as though we’re beating a dead horse. We’re all capable of obeying one simple rule. We should be told this once and not have to deal with it again, right?

However, we are sheep. If just one of our peers breaks this rule then we automatically assume that we’re allowed to break it as well because if they had no consequence then why would we? Stop thinking that you’re the exception. It could happen to any of us.

I could bore you with numerous statistics about how 11 teenagers die a day from texting and driving in the United States or how you are 23 times more likely to get in an accident when texting behind the wheel or even how fiddling with your phone makes you just as impaired as if you had drunk four beers but these facts don’t scare us. Teenagers still think they can get away with just a quick text while waiting to get out of the parking lot.

So instead, here are a few tactics to help you forget about your mobile device when behind the wheel:

• Turn it off. This gives you a better chance of forgetting it’s even by your side since it won’t be ringing or sending you any notifications.

• Put it away. If just the view of your cellphone in your peripheral vision makes your skin crawl from the desire to check it so badly then it might be a good idea to zip it up in your bag or put in your glove box. That way it’s out of sight and out of mind.

• Check yourself. If you are like me and can have your phone beside you without having this uncontrollable urge to check it but occasionally slip up and find yourself unlocking your screen at a stoplight then you need to check yourself. Is checking Twitter or replying to this text message really that important? Can it wait until you’ve reached your destination? These are all valid questions to ask yourself.

Also it’s important to remember that texting and driving doesn’t apply to only you. There are other drivers on the road and not only are you putting your life at risk but others as well. Don’t put yourself in danger of being one of the eleven teenagers to die from texting behind the wheel. It can wait.