Americans love their technology and we find it hard not to pick up the phone at a red light or when we feel traffic has slowed down enough to take a quick glance at our phones. Text messaging has become a major factor in traffic accidents around the country. In 2010 alone, over 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes. With the growing number of cell phones in the U.S. these numbers are increasing. Car and Driver Magazine performed a study comparing the dangers of texting while driving vs driving drunk and found that both reading text messages and sending text messages are more dangerous than drinking and driving.
As alarming as the above Texting While Driving Statistics are, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey of about 15,000 high school seniors and of these 58% admitted to texting and emailing while driving in the previous month. Thirty nine states have now banned texting and sending emails while driving.
Let’s take a look at the Dangers of Texting Statistics. The following infographic by onlineschools.com provides some eye opening statistics.
he dangers of texting while driving are astounding so we need to continue educating all drivers. Although 34% of young adults admit to texting while driving, 27% of adults have admitted to the same. In Colorado texting while driving is illegal for all drivers and talking on cell phone is prohibited for new drivers under the age of 18. If a death occurs as a result of texting while driving the offender will most likely be charged with a felony. These are serious charges that can ruin lives and destroy families so parents should take the time to educate their young drivers about the Texting While Driving Risks. Ask your children to be honest brokers and not let you text or read email while your operating a vehicle. If a message is just that important let the passengers send messages and read your email for you. But in the end the absolute best solution is to simply turn off the phone and put it away while your driving. In hindsight, there is no message that important that it can’t wait until you arrive at your destination or find a safe place to pull over first.
Some states have regulations about driving while talking on the phone so before you travel out of state it’s wise to learn more about the rules for that State. You can check your specific State for more information and their driving laws at: http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/state-laws.html
Share this important information with your family and friends and take a look at this entertaining video by Car and Driver Magazine below. To share this article just click on one or more of the social buttons below or to the left…. it could save a life! Also share your experience with texting and driving via the comment section below.