Understanding the scope of the texting and driving problem

On Behalf of | Jul 4, 2019 | Auto Accidents |

Whether you live here in Delaware or somewhere else in the country, you know that texting while driving increases the potential for accidents, but the problem is actually much worse than that. If you text while behind the wheel, you increase your risk of crashing by 23 times.

Even though the general consensus is that texting and driving is dangerous, many people continue to do it, even those who say it’s dangerous. Knowing more about the problem could deter more drivers from doing it. Teenagers are particularly at risk due to the combination of distraction and inexperience behind the wheel.

Here’s what the data says

If you look at the data gathered from various sources, it shows that this is a larger problem than you may realize, especially for teenagers who have little driving experience. Consider the following facts:

  • Driving and holding your cell phone at the same time reduces reaction time by around 46%.
  • You can only divert your attention from driving for about two seconds and still drive safely.
  • It takes approximately five seconds to send or read a text message.
  • At the three-second mark, you could end up in an accident if you let your cell phone distract you.
  • Around 40% of teenage passengers admit that the driver used his or her phone in a way that put them in harm’s way.
  • It may not surprise you that 77% of the adults who tell their teens not to drive and text do so themselves, and the teens witnessed it.
  • Approximately 1.6 million motor vehicle accidents each year involve cell phone use, according to the United States Department of Transportation. In those crashes, 6,000 people die and no less than 500,000 people suffer injuries.
  • Approximately 330,000 crashes each year result from texting and driving specifically. 
  • The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute discovered that intoxication causes accidents six times less than texting and driving. The same research equated the ability to drive safely when texting to driving safely after drinking four beers in one hour.
  • Texting while driving kills 11 teenagers every day across the country.

These facts are sobering. Cellphones have changed the world and not always for the better. These days, somewhere in the neighborhood of 26% of all accidents involve a driver using one. If you happen to be the unfortunate person in such a driver’s vicinity, you could suffer serious injuries or lose a loved one. Under these circumstances, you could pursue the compensation you deserve.