I know we have talked about this before but this topic is not going to go away any time soon. Texting laws are proving to be difficult and complex to craft and enforce. Florida’s current anti-texting bill is sitting on Governor Scott’s desk for signature. Even if he signs it, it is unclear weather or not this bill will have any effect on texting since is is not a primary law. This means the police can’t pull someone over that is texting unless they find something else you are doing wrong. Here are a few stats to consider:
- 40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. (Pew)
- Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash University)
- Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (VTTI)
- Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)
- Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)
- Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)