In the age of social media such as twitter, Snapchat, Facebook etc. texting and chatting is becoming popular. Some of us are even doing it while driving. With this growing trend how safe are we? Because how different is texting while driving from drinking and driving? One might reason that since there is no alcohol involved, it is tolerable. But is it? You’ve probably heard of Taylor swift’s ‘The Highway Don’t Care’ song, and well these sobering facts just point out to how dangerous this latest trend is
1) According to the National Safety Council texting while driving contributes up to 1.6 million crashes per year.
2) Statistics from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study show that it causes up to 330,000 injuries per year.
3) Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts links it to utmost 3000 teenage deaths/ year
4) A quarter of all car accidents are caused by texting while driving
5) Anyone who texts while driving faces the same danger as the person driving after taking four beers
6) Teen drivers associate this with loss of concentration
Although many agree that texting while driving is unsafe, they say this is a culture that is difficult to do away with. Many people find it difficult to keep the phones out of their hands even for just ten minutes. So what do people find the urge to check out their phones even while behind the wheel?
• People will always feel the need to go through their emails every now and then, send out texts, emojis and so on.
• Check out Facebook and twitter
A majority of the population is affected by this behavior; it is not only the young but the old too. Studies have found most people to acknowledge that it is difficult to shake of this behavior. And that what starts just as innocent darting glances at a post or message grows up to pose a big risk to both the drivers and pedestrians.
The bad thing is that some people feel they are experts and the rules to be followed while driving cannot apply to them. But according to the recent statistics, the highway doesn’t care so people should believe that anything bad can happen to them if they text while driving.
Accidents related to distracted drivers resulted in 3154 deaths and 424,000 injured people due to crashes in 2013 in the United States.
The latest finding shows that the number of people who are texting while driving exceeds those who are drunk driving so you can imagine the danger facing us. Being safe on the road will start with us, it is our own initiative because the dangers involved with intoxicated driving are real.
What can we do to shake off this trend?
1. Laws: Ten states including Washington D.C. have put on such measures by enacting laws that prohibit ALL drivers from using handset phones and texting while driving; additionally, 32 states including Washington D.C. ban rookie drivers from using cell phones;
2. Use technology: parents and guardians of young drivers can Install drive cams, download apps such as AT&T Drive Mode for Android & Blackberry or DriveID by Cellcontrol which goes for $129 and works on all phones to monitor driving habits of teens
3. Take a text-free driving pledge
We all can mend our driving habits, this article helps to point out that it should be our own initiative and that we do not have a choice given the disturbing statistics.
STOP DRIVING WHILE INTEXTICATED!