Driving and Texting: A Lethal Combination

The Virginia Tech Driving Institute recently did a study on texting while driving and the statistics are shocking! Think you are a safe driver while texting? Think again...

A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute revealed that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 time more likely to meet with an accident. A comparative study of texting while driving vs drunk driving statistics published in a leading car magazine in the United States revealed that texting while driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving. Studies reveal that a person who is texting while driving at the speed of 35 mph will cover 25 ft before bringing the car to complete halt as compared to a distance of 4 ft which a drunk driver would cover at the same speed. According to the texting while driving death statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5,870 people died in car crashes in 2009 alone (see dangers of texting while driving). The same statistics revealed that 515,000 people were injured in various car crashes in the United States. Around 28 percent of all crashes in 2009 were caused by drivers in the age group of 18 and 29, who admitted to texting while driving. The popular belief, that the number of teenagers texting while driving is more as compared to adults, got a major blow when the texting while driving statistics 2010 compiled by Pew Research Center revealed that 47 percent of the adults resort to texting as compared to 34 percent of the teenagers. The same stats revealed that 75 percent of the adults resort to phone conversation while driving as compared to 52 percent of the teenagers.

For more information about the dangers of texting while driving from the Virginia Tech Driving Institute, please visit:
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction

I'm not proud to say that I have texted while I've been driving in the past, but after researching information about the dangers of texting and driving, I no longer do it. It scares me to think that I may caused an accident for someone else or my own children. However, I am ashamed to admit that my texting while driving did cause me to have an accident when no one was in the car with me.

I was driving on a secluded road, not far from town when I received a text message from my boyfriend asking where I was. Wanting to respond immediately, with no place to stop and pull the car over, I reached down to my cell phone and sent him a quick text. Just as I finished sending the text, I looked up to discover that my car had veered off the road and was headed for a guardrail on the right hand side. Unable to react quick enough to pull the car back onto the road, I smashed into the guardrail and slide my car against it's hard metal for about 30 seconds. When I was finally able to regain control of the vehicle, I found a spot to pull over and assessed the damage.

There was a 2 inch deep gash all up the passenger side from the back end to the front end from where the guardrail smashed against the car. I was devasted! I had recently bought this car only a few months before and now it was damaged because of my stupidity. I only thank God that my kids were not in the car with me and that I did not hurt anyone who was also driving on the road at the time.

While my story is not nearly as bad as those who have been seriously injured or killed while texting or driving, my experience made me realize that it is impossible to drive clearly when distracted by a cell phone. This accident happened one year ago. I have not texted while driving since!

Think texting and driving is just an annoying issue that's merely bothersome, but nothing else? Think again.

According to the National Safety Council, texting while driving causes nearly 25% of all car accidents every year, which is equivalent to drunk driving after 4 beers. In fact, texting while driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence causes approximately 11 teenage deaths in the U.S. every year.

Shocking? There's more...

In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in the U.S. because of accidents that involved cell phone use, including talking and texting. And...another 448,000 people were injured in cell phone related motor vehicle accidents.

Worried about your teen driving? Your concerns are validated...

According to the Institute for Hwy Safety Fatality Facts, adolescents under the age of 20 has the highest percentage of cell phone distracted drivers. Each year, 16% of drivers under 20 years of age are involved in fatal crashes because they were distracted by either talking on a cell phone or text messaging. The average death toll for adolescents who were killed by cell phone use while driving rose from 10% in 2005 to 16% in 2009 & 2010. Scary facts!

And if you're naive enough to believe your teen isn't texting...

Research done by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society reveals that 46% of drivers (in the U.S.) under 18 years old admit to texting while driving.

Need help talking to teens about the dangers of not paying attention to the road while driving? One way to protect your loved one is by setting up a list of rules for him or her to follow regarding cell phone use. Here are some suggestions for boundaries when it comes to driving and cell phone limitations...

- Know and enforce your state's Graduated Driver License laws and restrictions, including unsupervised driving, time of day, and passengers in the car.
- Sign a teen driving contract such as SADD's Contract for Life
- Set family driving rules with clear consequences for breaking the rules. SADD recommends rules such as: No alcohol or drug use; No cell phone use, including text messaging; No driving after 10 p.m.; Keep two hands on the wheel--no eating, changing CDs, handling iPods or other activities while driving; Limit or restrict friends in the car without an adult
- Follow your own family's rules. Your teen will follow your driving example, so be sure you are keeping your own rules.

Also share with teens these rules for driving the family car...

- Pull off the road. Do not drive while calling or texting.
- Use speed dialing or voice-activated dialing if you have to make a call while driving.
- Let your voicemail take the call. You can call back later when you are not driving. * Know when to stop talking. If the conversation is long, emotional or stressful, continue it when you are not driving.
- Do not take notes while driving. If you don't want to forget a note, use a take recorder or pull off the road.
- Do not eat or drink while driving.
- Groom yourself at home, not in the vehicle.

Through conversation, education, and communication, we hope your teens will get the message that no text message is worth dying for.