Texting and Driving: A Bad Combination
Despite the fact that there are plenty of known dangers that go along with texting and driving, many admit that they still text while operating their vehicle. The sad reality is that teens are not the only ones guilty of texting while driving, adults are doing it too.
The Risks of Texting and Driving
Even though there are many laws out in multiple states banning texting behind the wheel, many people continue to do so, and fatal accidents are on the rise because of it. In fact, studies have shown that over 16,000 deaths have occurred over the past 6 years because of accidents involving drivers who were texting and driving. Those numbers will continue to rise if something isn’t done to stop it.
It is already clear that even laws that are set forth to keep drivers from texting while driving are proving to be ineffective. It is going to take more for those who choose to text while behind the wheel to stop. Unfortunately, sometimes that will mean experiencing a car accident, or worse, before they truly understand that texting and driving are a bad combination. Not only are people who text while driving endangering themselves, they are also interfering with the safety and lives of other drivers traveling the roads!
Who Texts and Drives?
So who are the people text and driving, and why do they do it? While people of all ages are guilty of texting, emailing, and surfing the web while driving, teenagers do make up the bulk of the demographics. In fact, more than half of teenage drivers admit that they surf the internet and send texts and emails while behind the wheel of their car.
If you browse internet forums or visit websites dedicated to teen driving and texting, you will see that many of these teens admit that they have either caused an accident or were almost in an accident because they were texting while driving. If that isn’t scary enough, consider that many of these teens have just started driving and have very little experience on the roadways as it is.
As previously mentioned, teens are not the only ones that are texting while driving. Adults are just as guilty of it, too. Many kids even admit that they didn’t realize that they were doing anything wrong when texting behind the wheel because they see their parents and other adults doing it on a daily basis. Parents must teach their children safety tips for driving, such as using only hands-free cell phones and navigation systems while driving.
Given the grim accident statistics caused by texting while driving, it is obvious things need to change—and fast. Texting and driving has become such an epidemic that everyone needs to pitch in and do their part to put an end to senseless harm and deaths caused by it.
