Drivingintexticated 625x200 Generic

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. Text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, making it by far the most alarming distraction while driving. With the majority of the population owning a smartphone these days, it’s more important than ever to understand the possible consequence from a sending a simple “LOL :-)” text while driving.

Did you know?

  • Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver’s reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
  • Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
  • 10 percent of drivers aged 16 to 24 years old are on their phone at any one time.
  • Driving while distracted is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes.
  • Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.
  • One in four (26%) of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving, and half (48%) of all teens ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel.
  • For every 6 seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road.

The best way to end distracted driving and driving while texting is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses. Share your knowledge and encourage others to refrain from “driving while intexticated”.

Statistics compiled from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, University of Utah, National Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Carnegie Mellon