Texting and Driving Leads to Deadly Texas Accidents

The way we communicate with one another has changed significantly over the years. While we still have the option of picking up the mobile phone and making a call, we also have the ability to send a quick text message. Text messaging has become incredibility popular, but unfortunately, it has also become a frequent activity that is conducted while driving.

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous driver distractions in existence today. According to Distraction.gov, the federal government’s official website on distracted driving, texting while driving involves three forms of distraction – visual, manual (hands off the wheel) and cognitive.

A couple of years ago, Car and Driver decided to investigate on its own, the dangers of text messaging while behind the wheel. They chose to take it a step further than many of the academic studies by using a real vehicle that was driven during the study instead of a vehicle simulator. They rented a taxiway in a Michigan airport and used an iPhone and Samsung Alias to perform the test. Here are some of the frightening things the researchers discovered:

One of the subjects, a 22-year-old male, had an average baseline reaction time of 0.57 seconds when traveling at a speed of 35 mph and reading a text. His reaction time when not reading a text was 0.45 seconds. At his slowest reaction time during the test, he traveled an additional 21 feet before braking when he was reading a text, which is more than a car length.
The other subject, a 37-year-old male, had worst results than his younger counterpart. When reading a text while driving at 35 mph, his average baseline reaction time almost tripled from 0.57 second to 1.44 second. He traveled an additional 45 feet before applying the brakes.

Take the Pledge

Distracted driving, especially texting while driving, can be deadly. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed in distracted driving accidents and another 448,000 were injured. At Van Wey Law, we are encouraging people to take the pledge to put the phone down and stop texting and driving. If you would like to take the pledge, visit our Just Put It Down website.

If you have been hurt in a Texas distracted driving accident, you may be able to recover compensation. Contact an experienced Dallas car accident attorney at our office for more information. We can be reached by calling 800-489-5082 or filling out our online form.

Don't hesitate to contact Kay Van Wey at (800)489-5082 for a free, no obligation consultation.

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