Cell phones have become a huge part of life in the modern world.
In America, over 75% of people own and use mobile phones (and that's including people of all ages).
Thus, it's no surprise that texting has become such a huge mode of communication.
It's a quick and convenient way to send a short message without the immediacy of a regular phone call.
The perceived convenience that is one of texting's largest advantages quickly s turns into a harmful characteristic when it mixes with operating a motor vehicle.
Texting while driving has become a very controversial topic, and has been the target of a number of revealing studies in recent years.
As of June 2009, 14 states had banned sending text messages while driving, and more and more cities in other states are following suit.
It's easy to accept that such legislation has a solid base in trying to eliminate dangerous distractions for drivers, but just how dangerous is texting while driving? Popular magazine Car and Driver performed a study which showed that at 35 miles per hour, one subject's average reaction time increased from.
57 seconds to 1.
44 seconds while reading a text (and 1.
36 seconds sending one).
This means that while writing a text, he traveled an extra 41 feet before braking.
This is a shocking result on its own, but is even scarier when considered with the fact that the same subject only traveled 7 extra feet while performing the test while legally intoxicated.
This is not evidence that drinking and driving is safe or smart - it does, however, show how much people underestimate the devastating effects of texting while driving.
Other studies have produced equally unnerving results.
An experiment performed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute determined that drivers of trucks and other "heavy vehicles" are 23 times more likely to be involved in a "crash or near crash event" while text messaging.
The studies that produced this conclusion watched drivers for over 6 million miles of driving, so it is hard to dismiss the findings as shortsighted or grossly overstated.
The dangers of driving while distracted are obvious.
In fact, in 2008, it is estimated that distracted drivers caused almost 6,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries.
As texting continues to grow in popularity, it will only cause these figures to increase.
Currently, over a quarter of all drivers admit that they send and receive texts while behind the wheel, seriously endangering not only the individuals in their vehicles, but also pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists.
For more information about texting while driving, visit the website of Stevens Point car accident lawyers Habush Habush & Rottier, S.
C.
In America, over 75% of people own and use mobile phones (and that's including people of all ages).
Thus, it's no surprise that texting has become such a huge mode of communication.
It's a quick and convenient way to send a short message without the immediacy of a regular phone call.
The perceived convenience that is one of texting's largest advantages quickly s turns into a harmful characteristic when it mixes with operating a motor vehicle.
Texting while driving has become a very controversial topic, and has been the target of a number of revealing studies in recent years.
As of June 2009, 14 states had banned sending text messages while driving, and more and more cities in other states are following suit.
It's easy to accept that such legislation has a solid base in trying to eliminate dangerous distractions for drivers, but just how dangerous is texting while driving? Popular magazine Car and Driver performed a study which showed that at 35 miles per hour, one subject's average reaction time increased from.
57 seconds to 1.
44 seconds while reading a text (and 1.
36 seconds sending one).
This means that while writing a text, he traveled an extra 41 feet before braking.
This is a shocking result on its own, but is even scarier when considered with the fact that the same subject only traveled 7 extra feet while performing the test while legally intoxicated.
This is not evidence that drinking and driving is safe or smart - it does, however, show how much people underestimate the devastating effects of texting while driving.
Other studies have produced equally unnerving results.
An experiment performed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute determined that drivers of trucks and other "heavy vehicles" are 23 times more likely to be involved in a "crash or near crash event" while text messaging.
The studies that produced this conclusion watched drivers for over 6 million miles of driving, so it is hard to dismiss the findings as shortsighted or grossly overstated.
The dangers of driving while distracted are obvious.
In fact, in 2008, it is estimated that distracted drivers caused almost 6,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries.
As texting continues to grow in popularity, it will only cause these figures to increase.
Currently, over a quarter of all drivers admit that they send and receive texts while behind the wheel, seriously endangering not only the individuals in their vehicles, but also pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists.
For more information about texting while driving, visit the website of Stevens Point car accident lawyers Habush Habush & Rottier, S.
C.
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