It takes only seconds to send a text. That may not
AND DRIVING
seem like a long time, but when your eyes are off
the road and focused on your phone, the consequ-
ences can be deadly. Leam more:
With as many as 60% of drivers using cell phones while on the road, most people seem to think
that they can handle multitasking while driving. Unfortunately, the statistics show that's not
STATISTICS
In the 5 seconds it takes
to send a text while
traveling at 55 mph, your
car has traveled the
length of a football field.
always the case.
t 23x
You are 23 times more
likely to get into an
accident while texting.
Distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens.
SMS
Cell phone usage while
driving delays a driver's
reactions as much as
having a blood alcohol
concentration at the
legal limit.
55% Of young adult
drivers say it's easy to
text and pay attention to
driving at the same time.
18
18% of all fatalities from
distraction-related
crashes are due to cell
phones.
36% of teens say they
have been involved in a
near-crash because of
their or someone else's
distracted driving.
While most teens agree
that it's dangerous to
text while driving, nearly
30% say they do it
anyway.
WHY IT'S DANGEROUS
o
o
48% of young drivers
had seen one or both Of
their parents using a cell
phone (without a
hands-free device) while
driving.
Texting takes the driver's attention away from the task at hand: driving. This
distraction impairs the driver's reaction time, Which can mean serious
consequences.
Car and Driver performed a study to find out how long it takes drivers
to react and brake while reading and sending a text. They then
compared those times to a driver's reaction time while impaired.
Here are the results:
Brown: Car & Driver's 22-year-old intern
70 mph
35 m h
Impaired
SMS
Texting
Reading Text
If you don 't think these results are that surprising,
think again. At 70 mph, a car travels 103 feet
each second. Plus, these tests were done on a
straight road Without:
WORST RESULTS
REACTION TIME (FT)
50 ft
100 ft
150 ft
200 ft
Alterman: Car & Driver's editor-in-chief
35m h
70 mph
Impaired
SMS
Texting
Reading Text
Afterman's reaction time while texting at 70 mph
was the worst in the study; it took him driving
more than 300 feet to react.
STOP
Road signals
Any traffic
THE LAW
Pedestrians
If those statistics aren't enough to scare you straight, consider this: In many states, texting While driving
is against the law.
Banned texting
While driving
.1
Banned using hand-
held phones While
driving
37 of 50 states have totally banned texting on a mobile
phone or other device While driving. Most Of these states
have primary enforcement laws, which means an officer
can cite the driver for this offense without any other traffic
offense taking place. Except for Maryland and West
Virginia (until 2013), all of the states banning handheld
phones While driving, have primary enforcernent laws.
TIPS TO STOP TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Once you get in the car,
put your phone in a
place you can't access.
Be sure to turn off
notifications to avoid
the temptation to look.
iZup: Directs calls to
voicemail and waits to
deliver text messages
until the car comes to a
stop. Free (Lite version).
Blackberry, Android
DriveSafe.ly: Reads
texts and emails aloud;
automatically responds
without having to touch
the phone. Free. Black-
berry, iPhone, Android,
Windows Mobile
Download an app or install a
device that can help you
stop texting while driving,
such as:
Ask a passenger to
read the text and text
the person back if
OTTER: BIOCkS cell
phone use, sends auto
replies and allows one-
touch text responses.
Sl .gg+ Blackberry,
Android, (Coming soon
for iPhone and
Windows Mobile)
Textecution: Disables
texting while car is in
motion. Notifies a
parent if the app is
removed. So.gg.
Android
SOURCES,
. stoptextsstopwrecks.org I insurancejournal.com I caranddriver.com
ghsa.org fcc_gov drivesafe_ly lgetizup.com otterapp.com I textecution.com
Information provided by: httpWvuav.carinsurance.org/
graphs.net