Which is Worse, Drunk Driving or Texting While Driving?
In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones. That amounted to 1.3 million crashes. This number is now up to 1.6 million annually. Additionally, texting and driving is the number one killer of teens, amounting to 3,000 teens per year as reported by CBS. The National Highway Transportation Safety Admin actually said it is the same as driving after four beers. So what is it about texting that makes it so dangerous?
The minimum amount of time your attention is taken away from the road while texting is only five seconds, however if you are driving at 55 miles per hour that can equal the length of a football field. What does that mean? If the person in front of you happens to brake then you might rear-end them, or your multitasking hands might cause you to swerve the wheal out of your lane. Matter of fact, teens who text spend 10% of their driving time swerving out of their lane.
So what is being done about it? Washington State prohibits the use of cell phones while driving. This includes texting. What this means is that not only can texting while driving cause a collision, but it also amounts to fines if you are caught doing it.
One controversial solution could be a phone app that restricts texts and calls from coming in when it detects the phone is in a moving car. The drawback to this would be restricting passengers from answering calls as well.
To find out more about texting and driving, visit: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/
The Cunnane Law Office has provided this content for informational purposes only. You should refer your questions to a personal injury attorney.
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