inTEXTicated

Texting while driving is a national epidemic that is quickly becoming one of the nation’s top killers. As many as 800,000 drivers are texting behind the wheel at any given time across the country. Many drivers may assume they can handle texting while driving, but the numbers don’t lie, you are about six times more likely to get into an accident when texting while driving, than you are when intoxicated.

Studies have shown that while driving at 70 miles per hour, a person braking while legally intoxicated travelled four feet beyond their baseline. While reading a text while sober, they travelled 36 feet beyond their baseline. While sending a text, they travelled a whopping 70 feet beyond their baseline. This goes to prove that texting while driving slows your brake reaction speed by 18%. A large percent of Americans say they know texting while driving is distracting and dangerous, but they do it anyway.

Eighty-one percent of the U.S. population admits to texting while driving. A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute revealed that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident. They also found that drivers who were involved in an accident while using their phones had been staring at their phone for a mere five seconds, which is enough time to travel the length of a football field. 1.6 million, or 28%, of car accidents are caused by cell phone usage each year. Half a million of these accidents result in injuries. 6,000 of these accidents result in DEATH.

44 states in the United States have now banned or limited the use of cell phones while driving. In some states, you can be fined up to $750 and up to 15 years in prison, which is the same penalty faced by drunk drivers. Are you intexticated? Don’t be another statistic and don’t drive while under the influence. Drop it and drive!

Ashleigh Argo, Office Assistant of Arning Lawns