Like many of you readers out there, I am an avid texter. In fact, you could say I'm a master texter, my fingers swiftly flying over my iPhone keyboard, tapping out text after text to my friends. And I'm sure most students at the University agree that texting is a much more convenient and faster way to communicate with friends. Sending a text message takes only a few seconds and you can respond on your own time, without the pressure of an awkward or boring phone conversation. However, the explosive popularity of text messaging in America and around the world has led to a surprisingly dangerous phenomenon - texting while driving.
I'm definitely no stranger to texting while driving. More often times than not, I'm trying to text while balancing driving and shifting, as well as paying attention to the road. And usually, this is a recipe for near disaster. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've drifted out of my lane, nearly ran a red light, or looked up just in time to slam on the brakes because I can count every hair on the driver in front of me. But I'm not alone. All around America, young drivers are placing themselves in harm's way by texting and driving on a daily basis. These teenagers are more distracted and paying less attention to the road, resulting in higher frequencies of accidents and injuries. Clearly, texting and driving is a dangerous habit.
But just how dangerous is texting while driving? I mean, texting is such an innocuous act - it's not like I'm recklessly driving drunk or high, right? Well, one study in England decided to test just how badly text messaging impairs driving ability. The results were shocking. Researchers at the Transport Research Laboratory compared motorist reaction times under the separate influences of alcohol and marijuana to the reaction times of motorists who text on the road. The study found that reaction times for the texting drivers decreased by 35 percent, while reaction rates diminished by 12 percent by legally drunk drivers, and 21 percent by drivers under the influence of marijuana. This means that texting drivers were affected three times more by texting than by the alcohol. Furthermore, texting while driving led to a 91 percent decrease in steering control, as opposed to drivers who were paying full attention to the road. Overall, it seems as if texting and driving is one of the most dangerous acts that can be performed on the road.
So what action is being taken to protect drivers on the road?
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