A new study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has found that texting while driving is the most dangerous driving distraction, far exceeding the risk that lab research had previously estimated texting to have.
The study, which video taped long-haul trucks for 18 months, found that a driver who was texting was more than 23 times more likely to get into a collision whereas a driver who was dialing, using or reaching for an electronic device was 6 times more likely to be involved in an accident.
According to the study, drivers spend almost 5 seconds reading their electronic devices right before a crash, suggesting that they a key to accident prevention is keeping both eyes on the road at all times. On the highway, 5 seconds is enough time to travel a considerable distance and cause a serious accident.
Although the study was focused on truckers, the study applies to drivers of all vehicles. In their study Virginia Tech researches recommended congress pass a law to ban texting while driving. You can see the potential consequences of texting while driving when you create a virtual pile-up at FrienderBenders.com.
Car and Driver Magazine also recently released a study showing that texting while driving slowed your reaction time more than drunk driving.
Currently 14 states have already taken steps to ban texting while driving and a group of Democrats are pushing for Congress to pass legislation that would require states to ban texting or e-mailing while operating a motor vehicle.
State laws banning texting while driving have been difficult to pass because opponents such as the Governors Highway Safety Association have argued that such laws would be difficult to enforce.
Since December 2005, texting has grown from 10 billion messages a month to more than 110 billion in December 2008, according to the CTIA, the cellular phone industry’s trade group.
As texting becomes more prevalent, Americans are increasingly recognizing the risk of texting while driving. According to the second annual 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index, 87 percent of people surveyed said text messaging or emailing while driving is a very serious threat, yet almost 20% of these respondents admitted to texting while driving in the past month.
TIP: Remember to look up and follow your state’s laws on using your cell phone while driving.
source: http://www.vehiclevibes.com/2009/08/texting-increases-crash-risk/
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