Is texting while driving causing more accidents?
The vast majority of Americans consider themselves to be good drivers, even though 76 per cent of them eat or drink behind the wheel, 55 per cent speed, 53 per cent talk on a handheld phone, and 37 per cent drive when they're too tired, according to a recent survey.
What's interesting is that most people quizzed are even more concerned about the behaviour of other
drivers around them. Like texting while driving, for instance.
Are Canadian drivers that much different? Probably not, according to recent research from InsuranceHotline.com.
While dangerous driving practices such as speeding or entering an intersection on a yellow/red traffic light are commonplace amongst Ontario drivers, these aren't the bad habits that really seem to annoy other people. Again, texting leads the way.
Sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which estimates that at just 88 kilometers per hour such a lapse in concentration is like driving the length of an entire football field while blindfolded.
Good news, however. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are studying software on a cell phone that could analyze keystrokes to determine when that phone’s user is distracted and might be composing and sending text messages from behind the wheel.
In that case, the phone could shut off texting functions automatically.
What's your biggest beef when it comes to driving? If it's texting, are you ever guilty as well?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: Al | Sep 6, 2021 2:14:13 PM
I have never texted, nor used a cell phone while driving.(My company also does not permit the use of hands-free, and immediate termination of employment is the penalty). I always pull into a parking lot to do that, and only if it can't wait (and 99.9% of the time, it CAN WAIT!). My biggest beef is definitely other people texting while driving, and the reason is simple. I have encountered more near-misses with these texting, brainless morons than with those who speed, tailgate, and cut you off. Although these latter acts are also risky, at least the idiot behind the wheel is paying some attention to the road (just not the rules, nor common courtesy). I would also put drunk driving on top of the list. I have never encountered one, but a colleague of mine just lost his life to a drunk driver.
Posted by: hells_partsman | Sep 6, 2021 5:36:33 PM
To really prove that as a society we are truly regressing we look no further then texting while driving. at least when you drink and then drive your judgement is already clouded from the drinks and thinking clearly is an absurdity. Texting while driving however you have no recourse you had to be thinking clearly you wrote that thoughtful text. The bottom line here is that this should have been common sense but it's not government actually had to make a laws around this. What's next; a law to curb hugging bears or not wearing winter jackets. Laws like these should bring great shame to society but it doesn't...