Texting While Driving Ban Recommended
If you glance around while you are in traffic these days, it can sometimes seem like half the drivers on the road are talking on a cellphone or sending text messages. It has become disturbingly common, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recommended a nationwide ban on texting while driving. Texting, emailing, or dialing a telephone are extremely distracting and dangerous behaviors to engage in while driving. However, recent studies have shown that the number of folks who are doing it keeps rising. A national survey conducted by the NHTSA showed that more than half of their respondents between 21 and 24 had texted or emailed while driving. The Denver Post reported that many people feel they are driving safely while checking or sending texts and driving, but say that other drivers doing so are extremely dangerous. Feeling that you are an above-average driver does not minimize the dangers of distraction, though. Looking down at a screen for even a second while driving can easily result in disaster. The NewYork Times has been reporting on this issue since 2009, in an ongoing series called "Driven to Distraction".You can read the entire series here. The Times series cites a Harvard study that found 2,600 traffic deaths are caused annually by cell-phone distractions. The same study revealed that 570,000 accidents resulting in injuries occur each year as the result of such distractions. Colling Gilbert Wright urge you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.