It’s sad to say that the more aware we are of the dangers of texting while driving, the more popular it becomes. Over the past 10 years, text messaging has become an acceptable form of mobile communication, and most of the time, it’s preferred over anything else. Cell phone carriers automatically include text message plans, and people are even beginning to abandon voicemail altogether.
Yes, the text message seems to be the only way anyone wants to communicate these days, and that’s not always a good thing—especially when you’re driving. About half of drivers ages 16-24 have admitted to texting while driving, and
87% of the population considers texting and emailing while driving a “very serious” safety threat.
It’s no joke that texting while driving can get you into some serious trouble.
2008 Chatsworth Train Wreck
In 2008, texting killed 25 passengers in the
2008 Chatsworth train collision. Investigations discovered that the engineer sent 45 text messages while on the job. In 2011,
1.3 million car crashes in the U.S. were caused by cell phones.
Those are some serious numbers. Believe it or not, texting is even more dangerous than talking on the phone. When you text while driving, you are 23 times more likely to cause a crash. That’s significantly higher than talking (1.3x), dialing (2.8x), or reaching for your phone.
If you answer a text and look at your phone, you take approximately
5 seconds of your attention away from the road. At 55 mph, that’s equivalent to driving the length of a
football field… blind!
Texting and driving is even more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, slowing your reaction time by
600% compared to someone impaired by alcohol.
Texting While Driving
What Can We Do?
There are several ideas to combat texting and driving:
Blocking cellphone signals in cars altogether.
Using HUD (heads-up display) technology to show messages on the car’s windshield.
Developing self-driving vehicles that switch to autopilot while the driver answers a message.
Over 50% of the United States has already made texting while driving illegal and punishable by law:
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
North Dakota
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
There are even more laws regulating texting and driving. Even with these laws being enforced, texting while driving remains a significant problem.
What do you think of texting while driving? Do you indulge occasionally? What do you think will stop people from texting and driving? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
