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Texting and Driving
“We’ve been talking on the phone for 80 years. We’ve been driving for 100 years. It’s only recently that we’ve tried to combine the two.”
David Teater, National Safety Council, November 2009
When someone Texts and Drives...
They are four times more likely to cause an accident than when you are driving drunk or while talking on the phone.
People are 23 times more likely to crash while texting and driving.
They take their eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds, at 55 miles per hour that is equal to driving the length of a football field, blindfolded.
Response time diminishes greatly. The average time it takes a drunk driver to respond and push the breaks is 4 times more than average. The time it takes a texting driver is 40 more times longer than average.
They risk injuring/killing themselves and others. It results in car wrecks that kill an average of 11 teenagers a day.
Saftey Steps
Know and obey state cell phone driving laws; they are there for your protection.
Get in the habit of turning off your cell phone when you get into the car.
If you have to use your phone while driving, use a hands-free device that enables you to talk without holding the phone in your hand.
Ask a passenger to read and respond to your texts.
Says something if you are a passenger and the driver is being distracted.
If You Are a Parent
Parent intervention is a crucial element in helping a driving teenager make good choices.
Teens who do not text and drive are approximately 82% more likely to have had frequent talks with their parents about safe driving practices than 67% of teenagers who do text and drive.
Continue to talk with your teenager about safe driving after your teenagers get their license.
Be a good example to teenagers.
Drill into teenagers one simple rule: "On the road. Of the phone."
Texting and Driving at a glance
More than 4 out of 5 teens that drive admit to using their cell phone while driving.
Research shows that hands-free cell phone use while driving is no less dangerous than using a hand-held phone. The's the conversation, not the device that is the distraction.
Over half of all teen drivers admit to texting or emailing while driving. Teenage and young adult drivers are the age group most likely to send a text or read an email.