Texting while driving has been established to be one of the main causes of car accidents on our roads. It may seem like a little distraction but the time one takes replying to a text is very long on the road even at slow speeds. If you are found to have been texting before causing an accident, the law has harsh consequences? awaiting you. There are a few things you need to know about texting while driving.
- A 2009 study at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed that texting while driving will increase the chances of a car accident by a frightening 23 times. Described as a safety critical event, increasing the chances of having a car accident by 23 times is more than 200 percentage points. You are literally begging to cause an accident.
- The study carried out by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute came out with the facts that of the car accidents that inflicted personal injuries to the victims in the year 2010, 18 percent of them were caused by texting while driving. 18 percent is no small figure. It should also be known that the number of accidents from texting while driving is higher although these ones are the ones that caused injuries.
- The same 2009 study at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute made an even more shocking revelation. On average, we take five seconds to reply to a text. Just give seconds, right? But imagine yourself going at a moderate speed of 55 miles an hour. For five seconds, you would have covered 120 yards without looking at the road. That’s the length of a football field, without watching the road! We all know how much can happen on the road in such a distance. From road signs to diversions to animals and children crossing the road, those five seconds are worth so much.
- The NHTSA carried out a study in 2012 to determine just how distracted drivers are on the road.They used texting while driving or generally being distracted while driving to classify drivers either as distraction-prone or distraction-averse. Their results pointed out that most of the drivers under the age of 35 were prone to distractions compared to those over 35. This points out that young drivers are likely to cause accidents compared to their older counterparts.
- The above facts were seconded by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute which stated that a teenage driver was more than four times likely to cause a car accident compared to an adult. This will be due to teenagers being more likely to be distracted by their phones than adult drivers. A lawyer defending a teenage driver who would have caused an accident due to texting while driving will have a hard time doing so.
How to Stay Safe
Before you are caught up texting while driving, you need to be aware of certain facts. First, using the phone while driving is an offense on its own. Even without causing an accident, a police officer seeing you on the phone and driving has the right to flag you to the side. Practicing restraint while driving is this the best routine. Also, you can stay safe on the road by using other communication channels while driving. For example, you can have a Bluetooth headset which will read the texts out to you.
Most major mobile operating systems have very useful hands-off features that allow you to do just about anything you want without touching the phone. You will be saving your attorney lots of trouble in court when you practice safe driving practices.
