Few people would dare to disagree that texting while driving is dangerous, but many people seem to believe that their own instances of texting and driving is different than other people’s. Perhaps they think that just because they don’t go as far as having long texting conversations or because they have their phone handy only to read a quick text and don’t actually answer the message.
Maybe they only check their phone for text messages when they are stuck in traffic that is barely moving or are sitting at a red light, and they think that these instances don’t really count. But they do. Driving while sending or receiving text messages continues to be an epidemic because so many people that know better find themselves making exceptions, and that leads to several frightening realities.
- A quarter of all traffic accidents in the U.S. happen because someone has been texting
- Texting behind the while has been proven to be even more dangerous than drinking and driving,
- Message writer are six times likely to get into an accident even than someone who has been drinking
- Overall, someone using their phone to send or receive messages are increasing their likelihood of being in an accident by 23 times, diminishing their ability to prevent an accident as well as increasing the likelihood that they will cause a traffic accident.
- Serious accidents often involve texting drivers, more than 300,000 of these accidents happen because the driver has been texting.
Part of the reason why texting is so dangerous is because it impairs drivers in multiple ways. Not only are their eyes off the road, but their hands and minds are off the road as well, and that is an outright recipe for disaster.
Many new car developments are working to put technology in their vehicles that are designed to limit the potential hard a text message can have, but it is far from a solution. The real answer lies in people’s individual self discipline, and their ability to put down the phone until they reach their destination.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, a qualified lawyer can help you determine whether texting occurred or not, and may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve.
