How often have you sat across from this vision at dinner? Our phones have become so central to our lives, that we are literally on them 24 hours a day. I get extreme heat when this is my wife’s view at dinner and who can blame her? While this view is not fun for your date, it is dangerous if this person is behind the wheel! “Intexticated” is a term that we are becoming familiar in this age of technology. Texting while driving is a growing trend and becoming an epidemic. Organizations such as National Safety Council, Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration do research and promote safety messages throughout the US to try to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities of auto accidents caused by texting and driving or “intextication”. The statistics are staggering!
In 2011, texting contributed to about 23% of auto collisions. Okay, that doesn’t sound bad right? However, that translates into 1.3 million crashes nationwide—that is a big number. The minimal amount of time your attention is diverted from the road while reading a text is 5 seconds. If you are traveling at 55 mph this equals the length of a football field. A lot can happen in the length of a football field!
Eighty-two percent of Americans ages 16-17 own cell phones. Who doesn’t have a cell phone these days? However, 52% of those drivers say they have talked on a cell phone while driving.
The huge problem is this: 77% of young adults are “very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving” and 55% of young adult drivers claim “it’s easy to text while driving”. Do you want to meet this driver on the highway while driving? The research shows teens who text and drive spend an average of 23% of their driving time outside of their lane. Recipe for an accident? Undoubtedly, yes.
Experienced drivers do it as well. 1 in 5 drivers admit to surfing the web while driving. Here are some “justifications” used for texting and driving:
*Reading a text is safer than composing and sending one
*They hold the phone near the windshield “for better visibility”
*They increase following distance
* They text only at a stop sign or red light
The fact is, if you are texting and are in an auto accident, your phone records, including text messages and times sent can be used as evidence against you. Common sense says that if you are driving a car, you probably need both your brain and your hands involved. But as our smart phones have become like another physical appendage for us, we talk and text while doing a number of other things. We text and return emails while we walk, cook, exercise and drive and even text while we are involved in a real conversation with another person.
We become accustomed to instant communication, but for our peace of mind and our real person conversations and Driving—we need to set the phone down. Pull over if you need to search for directions or send a message to a friend.
As parents and role models, we should not be talking or texting while driving in front of our kids. A friend of mine told me the other day that his 16 year old daughter told him, “Hey Dad, it can wait”.
If you have been involved in an auto accident and suspect that distracted driving was a factor in the accident, you may need a personal injury attorney. If you were injured due to someone hitting you while they were texting or using their handheld device, you may be required to prove it. Getting those records and making your claim is difficult to do on your own, but it is something that we do daily at our firm. After any accident, we want to determine all causes for the crash and evaluate the injuries. Our attorneys understand that serious injuries are life-changing events and are here to help you with the information that you need. Call us locally (314) 276-1681 or toll free (800) 685-3302
Source: Because Texting and Driving Kills. http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/
Courtesy of: OnlineSchools.com Link to this post!“Intextication” in St. Louis, Missouri" onclick="javascript:this.select()" readonly="readonly" style="width: 100%;" />
