Drivers Who Text Are More Deadly Than Drunks. Really.
Texting drivers more deadly than drunks
Pick your statistic.
• A study using in-cab cameras conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truckers were 23 times more likely to crash, nearly crash or wander from their lane when texting while driving.
• Another study at the University of Utah found that drivers in a simulator were eight times more likely to crash when texting, but just four times more likely to crash when they were drunk.
• Car and Driver Magazine tested two drivers, using a red light attached to the windshield to signal them when to brake. For one driver, the slowest reaction time at 70 mph added 31 feet to the braking distance while texting, versus 15 extra feet when legally drunk. The second driver had similar results when drunk, with his slowest reaction adding 17 feet in distance. But his slowest reaction while texting added a whopping 319 feet.
Different tests, somewhat differing results, but one common finding: Texting drivers are dangerous drivers, at least twice as dangerous as drunken drivers based on the Utah and Car and Driver tests.
Gov. Steve Beshear recognized this when he issued a recent order banning state workers from texting while driving government-owned vehicles.
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama put a similar ban in effect for federal employees.
A growing number of states are enacting laws banning texting while driving. Some of the laws cover everyone; some are limited to drivers 21 years old or younger.
If enacted, a bill in the U.S. Senate would require all states to ban texting by drivers within two years or forfeit 25 percent of their federal highway money each year.
Kentucky lawmakers shouldn't wait for Congress to force them into action. They ought to enact a ban during the 2010 General Assembly, preferably with legislation that applies to all drivers, not just the younger ones. Young folks at least have the benefit of quicker reactions.
In the Car and Driver test cited above, it was a 22-year-old whose slowest response while texting added 31 feet to the braking distance at 70 mph. The driver whose slowest response covered an extra 319 feet was 37 years old.
These days, our legal system takes drunken driving seriously. Get busted driving under the influence and you can expect a stiff fine, a suspended license and even some jail time.
If driving while texting is twice as dangerous as driving under the influence, shouldn't our legal system start taking that risky habit seriously, too?
Pick your statistic.
• A study using in-cab cameras conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truckers were 23 times more likely to crash, nearly crash or wander from their lane when texting while driving.
• Another study at the University of Utah found that drivers in a simulator were eight times more likely to crash when texting, but just four times more likely to crash when they were drunk.
• Car and Driver Magazine tested two drivers, using a red light attached to the windshield to signal them when to brake. For one driver, the slowest reaction time at 70 mph added 31 feet to the braking distance while texting, versus 15 extra feet when legally drunk. The second driver had similar results when drunk, with his slowest reaction adding 17 feet in distance. But his slowest reaction while texting added a whopping 319 feet.
Different tests, somewhat differing results, but one common finding: Texting drivers are dangerous drivers, at least twice as dangerous as drunken drivers based on the Utah and Car and Driver tests.
Gov. Steve Beshear recognized this when he issued a recent order banning state workers from texting while driving government-owned vehicles.
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama put a similar ban in effect for federal employees.
A growing number of states are enacting laws banning texting while driving. Some of the laws cover everyone; some are limited to drivers 21 years old or younger.
If enacted, a bill in the U.S. Senate would require all states to ban texting by drivers within two years or forfeit 25 percent of their federal highway money each year.
Kentucky lawmakers shouldn't wait for Congress to force them into action. They ought to enact a ban during the 2010 General Assembly, preferably with legislation that applies to all drivers, not just the younger ones. Young folks at least have the benefit of quicker reactions.
In the Car and Driver test cited above, it was a 22-year-old whose slowest response while texting added 31 feet to the braking distance at 70 mph. The driver whose slowest response covered an extra 319 feet was 37 years old.
These days, our legal system takes drunken driving seriously. Get busted driving under the influence and you can expect a stiff fine, a suspended license and even some jail time.
If driving while texting is twice as dangerous as driving under the influence, shouldn't our legal system start taking that risky habit seriously, too?
Labels: General information
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 7:17 PM
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