Sending text messages while driving is dangerous and a “no-brainer.” But while driving the roads you see motorist texting and reading. A survey at a local high school showed 85% of the students acknowledged texting or reading while driving. Although teens are the biggest offenders, drivers of all ages admit to text messaging. A consumer study shows texting and driving is a practice on the increase.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near crashes. Teens using a driving simulator while sending text messages or searching their MP3s slowed down, wove in and out of their lanes, and in some cases, ran over pedestrians in a study presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies.
14 states and the District of Columbia now have laws banning texting while driving (as of July 2009). It’s time for all states to be uniform in the texting ban. Passengers tell the driver to stop texting!
