subject: Texting When Driving and the Dangers [print this page] Texting When Driving and the Dangers Texting When Driving and the Dangers
Why is it that people are so anti drink driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, but sit on the fence when it comes to the issue of people texting while operating a vehicle? Surely this is just as dangerous as being under the influence, when you are impaired, as the distraction of reading and typing when driving is just as bad?
Drunk drivers react, on average, twelve percent slower than a sober person, while someone who has smoked marijuana reacts a massive twenty one percent slower. So if course, both of these practices should be banned to ensure that pedestrians and other road users are safe and protected.
But how much does sending a text message impair your driving? A whopping thirty five percent, almost three times more than if you are driving under the influence of alcohol.
Another problem if you are driving and texting is the lane discipline. Distracted drivers are more likely to cross lane boundaries and their steering control has been proved to drop by around ninety percent.
There was a recent programme on TV that documented reaction times when people were doing certain things, and it simulated peoples stopping times when eating, texting, applying lipstick and on the phone. The results were all the same it seems that if you are doing any of the above activities then you are more likely to have an accident due to a large increase in your stopping times. This means that if someone crosses in front of you you are less likely to stop in time, and therefore there could be a fatality.
It seems that the government are echoing my concerns, as although if you are caught texting you will receive a sixty pound on the spot fine and three points on your licence, a death caused by this will automatically win you a prison sentence, with a minimum of five years.
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