Despite the fact that it`s no secret that texting and driving are never a good combination, the number of drivers that are texting while driving does not seem to have diminished. It`s understandable that cell phones have revolutionized the way people communicate and that everyone seems to be wanting to communicate something to someone all the time. However, certain exceptions should be put in place to this desire for constant communications, specifically when behind the wheel.
There are serious and well-known safety risks when a driver decides to text, send an email, or use any other application while driving. Anyone who is driving a vehicle needs to concentrate fully on the task at hand and not engage in distracted driving, whether it is texting and driving, eating and drinking, speeding, or carrying out any other activity that would put not only their own lives at risk but also the lives of innocent people around them, both pedestrians and other drivers.
You can play an important role in saving lives by committing to drive safely, with the task at hand having your complete attention.
To get you started on the road to being a safe driver, here are some texting and driving statistics to remind you how dangerous this activity can be.
- Texting while driving has become such a massive and universally recognized problem that by 2019 48 states had banned texting while driving.
- The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has issued a report that shows that 1 in 3 drivers are acquainted with someone who has been injured or who lost their lives in a crash that involved texting while driving.
- The same AAA Foundation report reveals that texting and driving doubles the chances of being involved in a car accident. It also triples your chances of hitting a tree, colliding with a street sign, leaving the road, or going over a curb.
- Nine people die daily due to distracted driving, while more than 1,000 are injured.
- The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has reported that people are six times more likely to be involved in a car crash if someone is texting and driving than if someone has consumed alcohol or drugs.
- The response time for a driver that is texting while driving is similar to that of a person who has consumed four beers in one hour.
- About half of all teenagers surveyed admit to having a smartphone addiction. And when they drive, this can mean disaster since they are in the habit of checking their phones multiple times.
- Six teenagers die in crashes every day. Many of those deaths could have been prevented if there had not been someone texting and driving.
- Teenagers who are texting and driving tend to veer out of their traffic lanes about ten percent of the time. This is plenty of time for a crash to occur.
Have you been injured by a driver who was texting?
Statistics show high numbers of car accidents due to texting while driving. When faced with such a huge national problem, the odds are that you may be affected by this behavior at some point. Should you be injured by a texting driver, you should contact a car accident attorney for more information on the best way to proceed in order to get the compensation you deserve.
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