Dangers of Texting and Driving

Did you know that if you attempt to text and drive, you are 23 times more likely to have an accident than a non-distracted driver.

Over 160,000 auto accidents are believed that have been caused by individuals texting and driving in 2010.

Additional statistic to consider, 11% of young drivers, aged 18-20, who were involved in an automobile accident and they were not killed and were able to communicate admitted they were sending or receiving texts when they crashed.

More than 3,092 people lost their lives in 2010 alone as a result of distracted driving.

Texting while driving has quickly become a National Epidemic. Now, about 10 individuals are killed every day because of it.

Every individual that Text and Drives already k that it is a reckless disregard for safety of others and themselves, but regardless they continue.

Day in and Day out, block after block, mile after mile, unnecessary death after unnecessary death. We as citizens, must stand up and say enough is enough.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving is reportedly roughly six times more likely to cause an accident than driving while intoxicated. It is also the same as driving after having consumed four beers.

In 2011, approximately 23% of all crashes involved cell phone usage, which resulted in approximately 1.3 million crashes. This national epidemic causes untold physical and mental pain, suffering and loss of lives.

Economic damages of billions of dollars have been caused by crashes that involved texting while driving.

To text while driving is illegal in most states. It is a conscious choice to needlessly place the lives of others at a substantially increased danger and at a substantially increased risk of serious bodily injury or death.

The use of a cell phone to talk, or to text, while driving is a very selfish, unsafe and highly reckless act.

According to the USDOT, distracted driving caused by texting comes can be identified in three main are:

1. Manual Distraction-the driver takes his hands off of the steering wheel while driving;
2. Cognitive Distraction—the driver takes his mind off of the driving activity while driving;
3. Visual Distraction-the driver takes his eyes off of the road while driving.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it also involves all three of the main distractions…simultaneously!

Oftentimes, an otherwise preventable crash will then occur.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a “preventable accident” is one which occurs because the driver fails to act in a reasonably expected manner to prevent it. In judging whether the driver’s actions were reasonable, one seeks to determine whether the driver drove defensively and demonstrated an acceptable level of skill and knowledge. The judgment of what is reasonable can be based on a company-adopted definition, thus establishing a goal for its safety management programs.

Note that the above definition of preventable accident is focused on the actions of the driver. It is the commonly used definition in evaluating driver performance. A broader definition, which can be used to evaluate the driver’s and the motor carrier’s actions, is given by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as follows:

A preventable accident on the part of a motor carrier means an accident that:

1. Involved a commercial motor vehicle, and
2. Could have been averted but for an act, or failure to act, by the motor carrier, or the driver.

The concept of a “preventable accident” is a fleet safety management tool which achieves the following goals:

1. It helps establish a safe driving standard for the driver;
2. It provides a criterion for evaluating individual drivers;
3. It provides an objective for accident investigations and evaluations;
4. It provides a means for evaluating the safety performance of individual drivers and the fleet as a whole;
5. It provides a means for monitoring the effectiveness of fleet safety programs;
6. Assists in dealing with driver safety infractions;
7. It assists in the implementation of safe driving recognition programs.

IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN INJURED OR WRONGFULLT KILLED AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT CALL CARABIN SHAW AT 800-862-1260