The Dangers of Texting & Driving
Since the rise of smart phones, the number of distracted drivers has gone through the roof. Texting while driving is the number one danger these days and many tests have been conducted to try and determine just how dangerous it is to drive and text at the same time. Not only does texting require your visual attention, but it also requires manual hand labor and cognitive focus. Visual, manual and cognitive are the three main types of distractions, and texting requires all of them. With all of the focus now put into texting, how much focus is the driver really putting on the road ahead?
Did you know that in 2011 alone, there were 3,331 people killed across the United States due to a distracted driver? The dangers are distracted driving are not worth the risks- just by using a hand-held device in the car, you are four times more like to crash and injure yourself. To be more specific, texting and driving raises the crash risk by 23 times, in comparison to a driver who is not distracted. Is any text that important? The average driver takes their eyes off the road for about 5 seconds when they are trying to send or receive a text message. To put this in perspective for you, a driver who is traveling around 55mph has already traveled the full length of a football field, in the five seconds that they were looking down at their phone. That means that they just drove that entire distance blind.
The truth of the matter is, that using a hands free headset does not help seem to be substantially safer than a hand-held device. Just by talking on the phone, the driver's focus on driving is reduced by 37%. Not only does distracted driving endanger the driver themselves, but also their passengers, other drivers and even pedestrians and bystanders. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration, the 2010 report shows that distracted drivers caused 18% of all fatal accidents that year- this includes 3,092 fatalities and 416,000 people injured nationwide.
The dangers of texting while driving are lethal- many people are under the impression that they safely multi-task but are not actually capable of doing so. The truth is that no matter which way you spin it, multitasking is a deadly habit and every activity that you participate in while driving, will demand your attention. Many drivers are not beginning to take the pledge that they will no longer text and drive, texting can wait until you are no longer behind the wheel. By putting safety first we can all work together to save lives.
If you have been injured in a car accident that was caused by a distracted driver, then please do not hesitate to contact Clemens Blair today. Our Oklahoma City personal injury attorney will fight for your rights and pursue compensation on your behalf. Call today!