We've all seen them - drivers speeding down the highway while applying makeup, adjusting GPS, reading the paper - and, most often, staring at their handheld cellphones.
Distracted driving is on the rise and, unfortunately, the statistics bear out the dangers of driving with any type of distraction. The New York Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research reported that 160 people were killed in vehicle accidents attributed to distracted driving in 2015, with more than 33,000 others injured. Deaths across the U.S. totaled nearly 3,500.
Texting While Driving Distracts the Driver in 3 Ways
Of all driver distractions, the worst by far is texting on a smartphone or other portable electronic device.
Texting distracts the driver in 3 ways:
· Manually, because at least one hand is off the wheel,
· Visually as you are staring at the screen, and
· Cognitively, as you focus on reading or tapping a text instead of the road.
This is a recipe for disaster. In fact, with an average text taking 5 seconds to read, a driver moving at 55 mph can travel the length of a football field while reading a text - without once looking at the road!
