The texting driver is the new menace of the roadway. According to one study, texting makes the chance of getting in an accident not twice as likely, not three times as likely, not even five or 10 times as likely — no, you’re 23 times as likely to be involved in a car accident if you text while driving.
Of teenage drivers — between the ages of 18 and 20 — 11 percent of accidents involved drivers who admitted they were texting while driving. That of course doesn’t count the texting drivers who don’t admit their dangerous texting behavior.
A few more stats: Texting takes the attention of the driver away from the road for at least five seconds per text . At 55 mph, that’s the length of a football field — without looking at what’s on the road.
In 2011, about 1.3 million auto accidents in the US involved texting or other cell phone use. Yet, 77 percent of young drivers believe that they can safely text while driving, and 55 percent say that they find it “easy” to text and drive at the same time.
Flying in the face of their claims, the studies also show that teenagers drift out of their lane for 10 percent of their time on the road if they text and drive. But why shouldn’t they do it? Of kids 12-17, almost half, 48 percent, say they’ve been in the car while an adult driver was texting. And 27 percent of adults admit to texting while driving.
Great example, grown-ups!
Okay, texting driver. If you’re one of those geniuses who think it’s okay to text and drive, this video, produced by PUNCH Films and Amped 11 Marketing and shown throughout Illinois, is for you.
