Almost every person has a smartphone in this day and age. Phones are no longer used just for making phone calls. They are also used for texting, navigation, social networking and playing games. There isn’t anything wrong with doing any of these with your phone. However, the problem that seems to be getting worse is doing these things while driving. Is responding to a text or checking a tweet you were just tagged in really worth your life? Is waiting until you have your car in park really that big of a deal?
Related: AAA Study: Distractions, Serious Problem Among Teen Drivers
In one month alone, 196 billion texts were sent in the U.S. It’s safe to say that texting has become one of our main forms of communication. However, in 2011, 5,500 people died from texting while driving and 448,000 were injured. While texting is a great way to communicate, reading or writing a text while driving should never be done. For every text you read while driving, that is 4.6 seconds that your eyes are not focused on the road. To put it into perspective, if you were driving 55 mph, opened a text and read it, you would be driving the length of a football field blind. That sounds a lot more dangerous when you look at it like that. You are 23 times more likely to have a wreck when you’re texting while driving.
Talking while driving
Talking on the phone while driving distracts you as well, even if you are doing it hands-free. It is equivalent to having a .08 BAC, which would get you a DUI in any state. Some other things people do that takes their concentration off of the road is applying make-up, eating and messing with their stereo or GPS system. Multitasking while driving is not worth your life! Do yourself and your family a favor and keep your full attention on the road while you are driving. While answering that text or e-mail may seem important at the time, ask yourself if it’s really worth your life?