If there is one thing that all people should know by now, it’s that texting while driving is incredibly dangerous. Drivers who look away from the road or who are thinking about unrelated things could make serious errors that put themselves or others at risk of being involved in a collision.
When you talk about texting and driving from a practical standpoint, most people agree that they’d never text and drive. They understand that it is distracting but want to find ways to do it safely. They might suggest that they can send a text when they stop at a red light, for example, but even that isn’t a good idea.
When you text, you’re taking your mind off what you’re doing. You’re taking your hands off the wheel, and you’re looking away from the road. Most people would never close their eyes and drive the length of a football field while traveling at 55 mph, yet that’s what they do when they are texting behind the wheel. On top of that, they may do it multiple times every time they drive.
There is never a good time to text and drive
The facts surrounding texting and driving prove that there is never a safe time to text and drive. The statistics are upsetting.
- Over 3,000 teens are killed annually in crashes that involve texting
- Truck drivers who text behind the wheel are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision
- Cellphone use has been linked to around 1.6 million collisions in the United States as well as around 500,000 injuries and 6,000 deaths
The reality is that no one needs to be texting while they drive. There are alternatives, like temporarily pulling over to take a call or waiting to text until arriving at your destination, that are much safer. Many people now install applications or use tools to put their phones on silent. Some apps can send an automatic message to those who contact the driver to let them know that they’re driving and cannot respond.
However you do it, you should make sure you put down your phone and avoid distractions on the road. Taking just a few extra precautions when you’re driving could be the difference between life and death.