Thousands of people die a year of texting and driving, leaving thousands more injured; It’s time to take distracted driving protocols seriously.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text message takes a person’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds; at 55 mph that’s like driving the length of a football field with eyes shut. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. It is six times more likely to cause an accident texting while driving than driving drunk. Texting, of course, is just one form of distraction behind the wheel, but safety analysts say it is among the worst. 

To get a better handle on the problem, we need better required documentation. We also need laws that take the matter seriously. Pennsylvania law prohibits drivers from texting or emailing while driving, but any other use of the electronic devices while driving is permitted. Which makes distracted drivers the most difficult to catch. While 14 states ban all handheld cellphone use while driving, 32 only prohibit texting, forcing officers to prove drivers seen holding or touching phones were not doing something else. 

The most effective response may be to change the culture. Many people tend to think of texting as a momentary distraction that they can handle in the same way they change a radio station or reach over for a cup of coffee. Two-and-a-half million new teen drivers enter U.S. roadways each year, and many of them are underprepared. Together, we must educate our sons and daughters on the importance of driver safety; and in the meantime, set a good example by putting the phone down. 

https://wnd.infobase.com/reutersarticle/329688?wid=15075https://wnd.infobase.com/wndarticle/319123?wid=15075https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.htmlhttps://www.nwitimes.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-texting-while-driving-must-be-taken-seriously-lives-are-on-the-line/article_45281cbb-b730-5a68-a6ce-dc868a5b0ebb.htmlhttps://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/texting-and-driving-statistics/#:~:text=2020%20texting%20and%20driving%20statistics&text=15.6%25%20of%20young%20drivers%20(ages,state’s%20texting%20while%20driving%20laws.&text=49%25%20of%20all%20respondents%20believe,is%20illegal%20in%20all%20states.https://wnd.infobase.com/newsedgearticle?byline=The+Columbus+Dispatch&source=Columbus+Dispatch+(OH)&storyurl=http://new.newsedge.com/servlet/StoryRetrieval/GetStory?key=qMvKxCz5Xv_aYKQyjYeEZDOa24L1OK4u6RqQqlITdARE6uyzxczPED4zAIfUd63BqvEvkp3FCunjwdR04VUO-b2IX5z13y-s5euWbOKUdDI8KbuDVFA5JYPlzFwMkNxQ&searchTerm=texting+and+driving&oper=1