FDI Voice | Driving While Texting Kills - What is the Solution | FDIVoice

Author: Gregory Toussaint

Author: Gregory Toussaint

With the need for a solution, FDI Voice Emerges with the answer.

One in four (26%) of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving, and half (48%) of all teens ages 12 to 17 say theyve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel.

These findings are based on a new report from the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project that looks at teens, mobile phones and distracted driving. The results were derived from a telephone survey of 800 teens' and parents use of mobile phones and 9 focus groups conducted in 4 U.S. cities between June and October 2009 with teens between the ages of 12 and 18.

Many teens understand the risks of texting behind the wheel, said Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist at the Internet & American Life Project and co-author of the distracted driving report, but the desire to stay connected is so strong for teens and their parents that safety sometimes takes a backseat to staying in touch with friends and family.

Cell phones are often seen as devices that can make our lives more efficient, allowing us to multi-task in our idle moments, said Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and co-author of the report, and whether youre a teenager or an adult, its tempting to think you can manage several different activities at once.

For every two seconds a driver's eyes are off the road, a motorist is twice as likely to be involved in a crash, said Troy Green, national spokesman for AAA.

"Texting while driving ... requires your full attention and leaves no room for distraction," Green said. "You'd have to be foolish at best and delusional at worst to think you can send and receive text messages while operating a motor vehicle effectively and safely....

We believe that's something that should be banned."

Texting and cell phone use have been blamed for numerous deadly crashes in the past few years.

A recently released study (PDF) by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a "crash or near crash event" than "nondistracted driving." As per talking on a cell phone, the same study found no increased risk for truck drivers and 1.3 times the risk for car drivers. There was considerably more risk associated with dialing while driving. The institute's Richard Hanowski acknowledges that the numbers are likely to be different with car drivers. As reported by CNET's Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that "texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time...to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph."

Teens at biggest risk

When it comes to texting while driving, teens are a particular risk group considering that, according to Nielsen (PDF), "The average U.S. mobile teen now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text-messages per month" and apparently some of those texts are being sent and read from behind the wheel.

A 2007 study conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine has been widely misquoted as 46 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. But what the study found is that "61 percent of teens admit to risky driving habits." Forty-six percent of that 61 percent say that they text message while driving.

This issue is in the news a bit more than usual these days because of a shocking video created by a police department in the UK. It depicts a teenage girl texting while driving followed by a terrible crash with gruesome results for her friends in her car and the family whose car she hit. Before viewing the video (scroll down) please be aware that it is graphic and very disturbing. And before forwarding it to a teenager, also be aware that many youth risk prevention specialists question the effectiveness of videos that try to use shock value to change teen behavior.

Video is a Dramatization, but it is graphic in nature- Warning!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32549978#32549978

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http://www.fdi-voice.comAbout the Author:

Gregory Toussaint is a consultant at Johns Hopkins, and IT professional with 12+ years experience. He is very passionate about the texting while driving dilemma and is on a mission to spread the word and offer viable solutions. His blog can be found at http://www.fdi-voice.com

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