By Paul Samakow - Mar 20, 2014
According to a new report designed to learn more about the behavior of young drivers, shocking, although perhaps not altogether unsurprising, is the conclusion that texting while driving (TWD) is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated (DWI).
To illustrate the danger, Car and Driver Magazine reached the same conclusion in 2009 when they conducted a test that measured braking times and distances. From the report, it was clear that drivers under the influence of alcohol while at the wheel had a quicker reaction time to braking than a vigilant driver yet was in the process of emailing or texting while driving. The conclusion? Unfortunately, drivers who have been drinking alcohol are less dangerous on the roads than someone using a mobile phone to send an email or a text.
Let’s look at the table below to see the results of the study:
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According to a new report designed to learn more about the behavior of young drivers, shocking, although perhaps not altogether unsurprising, is the conclusion that texting while driving (TWD) is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated (DWI).
To illustrate the danger, Car and Driver Magazine reached the same conclusion in 2009 when they conducted a test that measured braking times and distances. From the report, it was clear that drivers under the influence of alcohol while at the wheel had a quicker reaction time to braking than a vigilant driver yet was in the process of emailing or texting while driving. The conclusion? Unfortunately, drivers who have been drinking alcohol are less dangerous on the roads than someone using a mobile phone to send an email or a text.
Let’s look at the table below to see the results of the study:
Unimpaired
|
Drunk
|
Reading email
|
Sending a text
|
.54 seconds to
|
add 4 feet
|
add 36 feet
|
add 70 feet
|
Texting while driving is so dangerous because it involves three out of three types or categories of distracted driving, while being under the influence of alcohol only distracts the driver in two ways.
Distracted driving comes in three different forms:
1. Cognitive or mental distraction occurs when a driver’s mind isn’t focused on driving. Distractions can include talking to another passenger and listening to the radio. These distractions take the drivers’ focus away from their driving.
2. Visual distraction occurs when a driver looks at anything other than the road ahead. Checking a child’s seat belt is a visually distracting behavior, as is glancing at electronic devices such as GPS devices for the car.
3. Manual distraction occurs when the driver takes one or both hands off the wheel for any reason. Common examples include eating and drinking in the car, adjusting the GPS, or trying to get something from a purse, wallet, or briefcase.
Sadly, statistics show that the number of collisions, injuries, deaths, and financial costs to society support the conclusion that TWD is on the increase. In contrast, drunk driving statistics in all these categories are mixed but decreasing overall.
In 2012, for example, TWD accounted for over 1.6 million accidents in the United States alone. Every day in 2012, 1,060 people were injured in car accidents involving TWD. If those numbers were not scary enough, on top of that, eleven teens died each day. Overall, it is unsurprising that TWD was the leading cause of death among teen drivers in the USA last year and is responsible for just about 25 percent of all automobile collisions.
It is not surprising to learn that teenagers are the worst offenders of TWD. This may be put down to the fact that their maturity level and their ability to understand the potential consequences of their actions have not fully developed. What is surprising, however, is that the TWD behavior of adults has increased yearly. But what is the solution? While it is true that TWD collisions that result in death are reported to shock us, make us angry, and often lead us to promise not to text while driving, we as a society continue texting while sitting behind the wheel.
Indeed, today’s society is distracted. We have convinced ourselves of the importance of staying connected and the need for others to hear from us immediately, if not sooner. We believe we can multi-task successfully in virtually all situations without consequences.
Driving a car is something most of us do many times each day. But for precisely that reason, we forget how truly demanding it is to drive safely while believing at the same time that it won’t happen to us as we are the best driver. Particularly teens believe they are invincible and that tragedy will not strike us.
Interestingly, most of us give honest answers when asked questions on this topic. State Farm Insurance Company has surveyed this area every year since 2009. The State Farm survey asks drivers to share their thoughts on the degree of “distractedness” they would attach to numerous behaviors while driving.
Overwhelmingly, survey participants found TWD (both sending and reading a text while driving) to be “very distracting” and by significant percentage points more remarkable than the remaining two types of distracted behavior, such as reaching for something in the car and attending to a pet or a child.
So, suppose it is, therefore, abundantly clear that everyone recognizes distracted driving as a significant problem, and it is also clear that almost all of our governments recognize the problem. Why isn’t there any legislation against it?.
Things are changing, however, and in the USA, there are only 5 states that have no ‘anti-TWD’ laws. (Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, and South Carolina). On the other hand, Alaska's punishment is severe; a ten thousand dollar fine and one year in jail. California’s fine, in comparison, is only twenty dollars. The average punishment around the country is a fine of only one hundred dollars.
So what more can be done? Are the gruesome TV commercials showing people having horrific accidents while texting not enough to make a change in our driver behavior?
It seems obvious, and most people agree that the ONLY way to end distracted driving behavior is to completely ban the use of cell phones when driving with strict fines and the possibility of imprisonment. Then and only then will we see a change in driver behavior.
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