Be Aware of Texting While Driving Statistics

Texting while driving statistics of vehicular accidents are alarming law enforcement agencies and concerned citizens worldwide.  There are now many online public service portals to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving or texting while multitasking and to change people’s behavior in the use of their cellphones.  There is a concerted effort to make people use texting in a responsible manner.

Some Startling Texting While Driving Statistics

There are various texting while driving statistics to be found in various websites.  For reliable links to sources of information, visit www.txtresponsibly.org.  The following are some of the most relevant information on texting while driving statistics:

• According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Administration study, using a wireless device is the No. 1 cause of distraction of a driver’s concentration
• In a study jointly conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in 2006 it takes only 3 seconds of inattention to cause a crash or a near-crash and that drivers using cell phones while driving are more likely to get into vehicular accidents that may result in injury.
• In simulator studies conducted at the University of Utah, no difference was found in the cognitive distraction caused by hands-free devices and hand-held devices.
• A survey published by Teens Today in 2006 say that using cellphones to send text messages are considered by teens as their biggest distraction.
• According to Carnegie Mellon, the amount of brain activity related to driving is reduced by 37 percent when driving and using a mobile device at the same time.
• According to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, about 6% of all crashes can be attributed to the use of cellphones while driving.
• The Cellular Telephone and Internet Association reported that 139,000 emergency calls are placed each day by drivers using their mobile phones.  This fact is recognized and appreciated by the state police.

Other sources of texting while driving statistics state that distraction from the use of mobile devices while driving alters the reaction of a driver like he has consumed alcohol at the .08 percent legal limit and that in 25 percent of crashes report to the police, a common factor is getting distracted while driving.

Recent findings by the Pew Research Center reveals new texting while driving statistics.  The report says that 26 percent of American teens say they are guilty of texting while driving, while 48 percent of all teens surveyed between 12 years old and 17 years old say they had been passengers in a vehicle with a driver who was texting while driving. This study about Internet and American Life evaluated the relationship between mobile phones, teen-agers and distracted driving.  The survey was conducted through a telephone survey of eight hundred 12 to 17 year old teenagers, a parent or guardian and 9 focus groups composed of high school students.

When you are behind the wheel, remember that you need to be alert at all times.  Lowering your guard for a few minutes and letting your cellphone distract you may mean injury not only to you but to an innocent third party. Texting while driving statistics proves how dangerous driving while distracted or DWD is.

Texting While Driving Accidents are Occuring at Alarming Rates

If you do not stop texting while driving accidents may occur and you may cause injury to yourself and to others. A study released in January 2010 by the National Safety Council which appeared in the Washington Post said that 28% of vehicular accidents occur because people are sending text messages or talking on their cellphones.

Texting while driving accidents comprise around 15% of the 1.4 million crashes recorded annually, while majority are caused by conversations using cellphones. Everyone virtually owns a mobile phone these days and people continue to use them while driving. The habit to pick up the cellphone and call or text anytime anywhere has been ingrained in the general population and breaking this bad habit has been the aim of many concerned groups lately. Everyone seems to be addicted to their mobile phone without realizing that they are putting other people’s lives in danger.

Many drivers involved in texting while driving accidents have killed or seriously injured a loved one of the people who have now joined consciousness awareness groups trying to educate more people about the dangers of using cellphones while driving. An ad released by a United Kingdom police department showing a bloody car accident caused by a teenager who was text messaging while driving has solicited a variety of emotions around the world.

Teens Main Contributors to Texting While Driving Accidents

Around 2,899 texts are sent by an average teen per month, according to a Nielsen study. One of the leading causes of American teenager deaths, especially those between 16 and 20 years old are texting while driving accidents. More than 5,000 teenagers are killed in this age group every year. Numerous studies have shown that driver distraction due to cell phone use and text messaging has been the cause of auto accidents in recent years. In January 2009, the ban on cell phone use and sending and receiving text messages while driving has been urged by the National Safety Council.

There are now many states that ban cellphone use and texting while driving. Because of the high incidence of texting while driving accidents, a nationwide bill banning driving while texting (DWT) is being pushed. A texting ban has been imposed by President Obama the previous year on all federal employees who are driving government vehicles or using government issued mobile phones in their vehicles.

There are also conferences and a new US Department of Transportation Website meant to inform the public about the dangers of multitasking while driving. Texting while driving is negligent and it is extremely dangerous. When a vehicular accident is caused by texting and results in bodily harm or fatal injuries, grounds for wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit exists. People whose loved ones have been hurt in texting while driving accidents should contact a lawyer as soon as possible to get a settlement from the driver or people who are responsible for the injury. There are statutes of limitation that vary from state to state, so people should get the right advice and file the case as soon as possible.

People should be more responsible and be made aware of the danger they are putting themselves in that they may also injure an innocent third party. Texting while driving accidents have caused undue suffering to people who have been injured, and to people whose loved ones have been injured or killed.

Texting While Driving and Distracted Driving are One In The Same

The United States Department of Transportation has an official website dedicated for distracted driving, to campaign towards people’s awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and other forms of distractions from the use of various devices.  Some of the distracting activities aside from using a cell phone include eating and drinking, talking to passengers, applying makeup, using a navigation system or PDA, changing a radio station, using an mp3 player or switching CDs.

All distracting activities are potentially dangerous but texting is considered the most alarming because it makes the driver take his eyes off the road, takes his hands off the wheel to text and takes his mind from the driving task to think of the text message instead.

People should be made aware of the dangers of texting while driving.  People become arrogant and say they can drive fine even while sending text messages until they get involved in an accident.  While some people are really expert drivers, they should not discount the fact that an accident may involve a third party which is beyond your control.  Pedestrians, stray animals and other drivers who are also distracted may figure in an accident with you in that 3-5 seconds of distraction that statistics say is all that it takes for an accident to happen.  Multi-tasking is dangerous because your capability is hampered when two or three tasks demand your attention.

Study Shows True Dangers of Texting While Driving

In a study of the dangers of texting while driving using a simulator in 2009, drivers sending text messages lost their lane position by about 50% and missed lane changes by more than 140% than those drivers who were not distracted and were fully concentrated on the wheel of their vehicles.  Another research showed that text messaging while driving is twice as dangerous as talking on a mobile phone.  It was also found that when drivers were text messaging, their response to the brake lights of the vehicle in front of them is slower. Simulation exercises also proved that there were more crashes experienced by text-messaging drivers compared to those drivers who are concentrating on the wheel.

Recognizing the dangers of texting while driving, many US states have passed laws against the practice.  More states are also banning texting while driving and penalizing people caught doing it.

There are some opponents to the ban on texting while driving, saying that people stuck in traffic should be allowed to use their cell phone and inform their families they are going to be late.  Others are on their way to appointments which should be informed when they are late and are still stuck in traffic.  They recognize the dangers of texting while driving but contend that there are situations when it becomes necessary to use the phone on the road.

Everyone agrees that the dangers of texting while driving exists and that the practice is life threatening.  The problem is the proliferation of the device with all those different apps.  Drivers can’t resist reaching for the phone when it rings or beeps because it might just be “very” important.  Law enforcers and public officials as well as well-meaning groups say no phone call is worth an accident or an injury.  They propose that when a text message is deemed very important, the driver should park the car before texting back so they’re not texting while driving.

The Dangers of Texting While Driving

Texting while driving is very dangerous, not only for the one using the cellphone but the occupants of the other car.  The texter is not only endangering himself but occupants of other vehicles cruising along with him on the road or vehicles and pedestrians crossing intersections.  Driving requires an individual’s full concentration and when he has to reach for the phone and read a message however brief and then reply with a short yes or no, he fails to use all of his faculties needed for the driving activity.  A driver who averts his eyes from the road even for a few seconds is in danger of missing a stop light, or not noticing a pedestrian on the side of the road ready to cross.

The Desire of Instant Communication Leads to Texting While Driving

People are getting used to sending text messages all the time.  When you are meeting someone in 30 minutes or an hour, your tendency is to send a text message that you are on your way and then the other person will inevitably reply.  Because it is so convenient and requires only a few letters to text in or a few buttons to push, people get carried away and send text messages all the time, even texting while driving.

Drivers should put off answering the phone while driving.  The best way to avoid texting while driving is to shut off the device or put it on silent mode to prevent reaching for it.  You may also stop for a while on the side of the road if you must absolutely read the text and send a reply.  This may happen when you are expecting a text message on your way to meet someone.  The other party who is waiting will very probably text you every fifteen minutes or so just to monitor your progress if you’re late arriving at the meeting place.

Sometimes, the driver will receive text messages that he reads while driving and if the message is important or thought provoking, he may lose concentration and focus his mind on the message he received.  Replying Reflecting on something else affects a driver’s reflexes and may affect his quick thinking, resulting in an accident.  Cellular phones are everywhere and its service is so convenient people just forget themselves and send and receive text messages everywhere, while walking, while eating and even texting while driving.

Many people spend too much time driving to and from work in their cars.  With the worsening traffic situations everywhere, they can’t just help calling home especially if they have kids waiting.  Mothers always want to check on their children and bring home something they like.  From work, they have to stop at the deli or the supermarket and most often than not, they will call or text their kids to ask if they want anything.  Moms get into the dangerous habit of texting while driving home.

Texting while driving has been the cause of many accidents worldwide.  The cellular phone is a great convenience for so many people and has made it possible to communicate in real time anywhere in the world, or just within your immediate neighborhood.  You no longer have to wonder what is happening in the town square or in the plaza if someone you know is there and you have his cellphone number.  You can text and he will most probably text back in a few seconds.  However, as with all other technologies, we must remember to use it responsibly, so that means no texting while driving.