In this day and age, multitasking is considered essential at home, at work and even in the car. While driving to work in the morning you might see drivers putting on make-up, shaving, eating breakfast, talking, or texting on the cell phone. We all know that these activities distract us from what we should be giving our primary focus to, but most of us think that we can handle a quick call while dropping the kids off at school or a responding to a short text at a stop light. Unfortunately, we couldn’t be more wrong. Experts have been telling us for years that driving while on the phone increases our risk of injury and accidents, but only in recent years has texting become even more of a problem. The dangers of texting and driving far outweigh the dangers of talking and driving, but yet according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, over 21% of us still choose to text and drive, putting ourselves and others in danger each time we do.
Real Facts
Keeping this avoidable danger in mind, here are some of the facts that have been discovered by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute as sobering statistics about texting and driving:
-If you text while you drive, you are increasing your chances of having an accident by over 23%.
-If you text while you drive, results show that you will have a longer response times than even drunken driving. A normal driver can respond quickly to changes in traffic and begin braking within half a second, a legally drunk driver needs four additional feet to begin braking—and a driver who’s texting needs 70 feet.
-If you are 18 to 27 years old, (or have a child in this age range) you are much more likely to be texting than people even a few years older than you. Studies report that 37% of people 18 to 27 admit to texting while driving, 14% of people 28 to 44 admit texting while driving, and 2% of people age 45 to 60 admit to texting. One could easily see the problem with the drivers with the least amount of experience being the most distracted by texting while driving.
Safer Driving
When it comes to how to stay safe on the road, it is as simple as turning your phone off when you are in the car, or at the very least resisting the urge to read or write a text while you are driving. More and more states have passed laws prohibiting texting and driving, but some say it is difficult for police to enforce. In your homes, you can stress to your children and family that no text is worth being injured themselves or hurting someone else.
This guest blog was written by Michael R. Casper, P.C. Attorney at Law, a personal injury attorney in Gainesville, GA. Michael R.Casper has been serving Georgia for more than 30 years. He is also a dedicated workers compensation attorney in Gainesville, Georgia.
