In 2017, 3,166 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving drivers who were texting while driving. That total rose to 4,637 people in 2018. Statistics involving texting and driving are alarming. 1 out of 3 people text while driving and each day 11 teens die in crashes caused by texting and driving. Most would argue that texting and driving is an issue primarily amongst teenage/younger drivers, but according to a poll by teensafe.com, 77% of adults believe they can easily manage texting while driving, while 55% of teens feel the same. Research done by AT&T shows that 77% of American teenagers report that adults close to the them instruct them to not text and drive, yet they see those same adult’s text or email while they drive. Both painfully high statistics for such a dangerous distraction.
According to The United States Department of Transportation, cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes annually. The number of annual crashes is disturbing considering that 47 out of the 50 states ban texting while driving. Testing done by the National Safety Council shows, that the maximum amount of time a driver can safely divert attention from the road is two seconds, but on average it takes a driver five seconds to send a text message. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute reports that someone texting while driving mimics the driving ability of someone who consumed four beers in one hour.
Distracted driving doesn’t stop at texting. With the rise in social media, statistics show that distracted drivers have admitted to posting content while driving, checking their social media accounts, sharing photos, snapchatting, changing music playlists and taking videos while driving. These are all forms of distractions while driving and can cause serious motor vehicle accidents, resulting in catastrophic injuries, including death.
Think twice before texting and driving:
- Insurance penalties for distracted driving have grown by nearly 8,000%
- Texting while driving increases the risk of crashing by 23 times.
- Approximately 660,000 drivers use their cell phones while driving during daylight hours.
- 47 out of the 50 US states ban texting while driving, and 15 states ban drivers from hand-held phone use
- Men are about four times more likely to drink and drive, but women text and drive more often.
- Texting increases your chances of rear-ending someone by a multiple of 7