Drivers younger than 25 are 2 to 3 times more likely to text or email while driving compared to older drivers. While teens are major culprits of texting while driving — sending an estimated text messages per month — you may be shocked to find that adults in the US could be more likely to text behind the wheel than teens , according to new research.
This age group is also more likely to have ridden in a car with a driver who texted behind the wheel. Yet even a split-second glance from the road could leave you at risk for a long list of dangers associated with texting and driving, like:. Research proves that texting while driving creates manual, visual, and mental distraction, making it the worst distracted driving offense of all. What is even more shocking is the fact that surveys have revealed that , drivers may be texting at any moment in the day; over , drivers drive while talking with a cell phone on their ear.
To better understand the dangers of texting while driving, here is a chart that compares different cell phone tasks and the crash risks that they can cause behind the wheel:.
Something as simple as talking on a cell phone makes a driver 1. Dialing a cell phone in a heavy vehicle or truck increases distraction risk by 5. When text messaging while driving a heavy vehicle or truck, the distraction risk increases Timeline of dangers escalate with cell Phone use:.
Given the fact that texting while driving causes a serious distraction, it would only make sense that roadway dangers have heightened as cell phone use has become more popular in the past 10 years. Using intriguing statistics for the state of Pennsylvania as an example, here is an estimated timeline of the dangers of distracted driving within the past decade:.
As mentioned above, 39 states ban texting while driving completely, as well as the District of Columbia and Guam. While violation of a texting while driving law could result in serious danger on the road, it can also lead to legal penalties. Although the laws vary greatly from state to state, punishment could include any combination of:.
Thirty-eight states and D. Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 48 states including Kentucky and D. In Kentucky, there is a texting ban. No laws currently restrict talking on a hand-held phone behind the wheel.
Please drive distraction free. Join us in driving distraction-free. Distracted driving has been around longer than you think Early examples of distracted driving studies go back as far as , when scientist John Senders took to the roads blindfolded — all in the name of research.
While capabilities were limited and nothing like what we see today, it was the beginning of a dangerous trend. By the s, texting was becoming the new norm, with wireless providers packaging text messaging into their bundles. There are several reasons why texting has really taken off.
Cell phone users quickly found that their providers were more generous with text message allotments than they were minutes. To stay within their plans, subscribers began relying on texting as a primary and more affordable means of communication.
In , state governments began fighting back with new legislation crafted to cease the growing epidemic of distracted driving. Alaska was one of the first states to act, adding text messaging into law as a punishable offense. A misdemeanor, texting and driving could mean up to one year in jail for offenders.
Modern technology is increasing the options for safer communication. Apps like DriveMode sense how fast a person is going, silencing text and phone alerts above 15 mph when a person is assumed to be in a car.
Other apps allow drivers to compete against each other for the safest driving habits, or earn insurance discount for reducing their risk on the road. All age groups are guilty of texting and driving, but data from the NHTSA shows that there are some groups that are far more active than others. Drivers between the ages of 20 and 29 far exceed the usage of older adults, with the group ages also showing greater cell phone use while driving.
The risk of texting and driving begins to decrease after 39, showing that drivers ages 40 years and up are more responsible on the road and less likely to end up in a car crash due to texting and driving.
The CDC offers some additional insight into how frequently teenagers use their phones behind the wheel. Its report studies how frequently teens use their phones to email behind the wheel. Many drivers have sent a text behind the wheel, and many continue to do so either on a regular basis or when they are in a pinch. But how common is text and driving, really?
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that one out of every three drivers knows someone or has a relative who was injured or killed in a car crash. Not all cell phone use is attributed to simply driving, either. Social media always proves to be tempting fodder, and the flash of a breaking news headline can lift your eyes from the road before you even realize. Many drivers also use their phones for audio in their cars, relying upon apps like Pandora and Spotify for music and podcasts to entertain them on their travels.
Even setting up or altering directions in a map application on your phone can be a source of diversion. Texting while driving is considered a moving traffic violation.
Depending on where you live, texting while driving may also be considered a Class B or Class C criminal misdemeanor. Other states and jurisdictions have no laws at all. Many states have looked to financial penalties as a reasonable consequence for drinking and driving. Additional possible penalties for texting and driving can include:. When bodily injury is involved, offenders of texting and driving may also face jail or prison time. The average time taken away from watching the road ahead is just five seconds , but in that time period, a vehicle traveling at 55 mph will go the length of a football field.
With attention distracted, it is like driving blindfolded for those few seconds. The results can and often are fatal. Acknowledging that texting while driving is a danger, some people seek alternative methods of communication. Again, the problem is the basic issue of taking attention away from the road ahead.
Use of a headset cell phone is not that much safer than hand-held usage. There are several apps that can be used to avoid the temptations presented when the driver receives text messages. In addition to these apps, the driver can just pull over to text message or turn off their phone while they are in transit. Despite the best of intentions, even these texting alternatives are not much better.
In the long run, the immense attractiveness texting has for most drivers wins over safety. At least a quarter of all teen drivers admit to responding to text messages every time they drive.
Most of those teens and about 10 percent of parents also admit that they have lengthy text conversations while they are driving, including multiple messages to their contacts. This extends the brief initial five second lapse of attention much longer, thus greatly increasing chances of an accident.
The total number of people who are texting while driving is approaching fifty percent. This happens even though drivers have been educated about the dangers of distracted driving.
Almost half of young people in high school who are 16 or older admit that they have either driven while texting or have been a passenger in cars where the driver was texting. This young group also is more likely to drink while driving or ride with other drivers who have been drinking, which is another factor that boosts the accident rate for this age group.
Teen drivers have grown up using cell phones and other communication devices. They expect an answer to text messages within five minutes or less. Almost one third of older drivers, aged , admit to being active text and email message senders also. Being warned about the dangers of texting while driving is widespread but ineffective, as teen drivers say that their parents are seen texting while driving.
Gender is another factor to consider when looking at statistics of vehicle crashes attributed to texting while driving. According to a National Occupant Protection Use Survey, women reach for their cell phones while driving more frequently than men. Other activities that women are more likely to engage in while driving include grooming, putting on make-up and using other electronic devices like GPS or sound systems.
There is no geographic limitation to where drivers are texting. The urge to communicate is so strong, most people are unable to just turn off the device and ignore it. Many people carry a cell phone for emergency use, but most also can use their cell phones for advanced communications like texting and GPS functions.
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