Texting While Driving: The Riskiest Behavior behind the Wheel
Texting while driving has been scientifically shown to be one of the most dangerous activities in which a driver can engage. With the proliferation of smart phones that keep us tied to our e-mail and social media accounts around the clock, texting accidents are a problem that is only going to get worse.
Texting has seen astronomical growth in recent years. According to the CTIA, a wireless industry association, the nation sent roughly 81 billion texts in 2005. In 2010, this number had exploded to over 2.1 trillion! And this figure doesn’t even take into account e-mails, which are the most common form of texting among people over 30.
David Strayer, Ph.D. is a professor of psychology at the University of Utah and a leading researcher in distracted driving. In a 2009 study, Dr. Strayer found that texting while driving increased the risk of an accident by 8 times.
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Another study undertaken by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that texting while driving among commercial vehicle drivers increased the risk of a safety-critical event (crash, near-crash, or unintentional lane change) by over 23 times. A subsequent VTTI study, again conducted on commercial drivers, increased this risk to more than 163 times compared to non-texting drivers.
These numbers are in fact far worse than the increased accident risk associated with intoxication by alcohol.
Texting accidents are increasingly common—and eminently preventable. While texting behind the wheel has been banned by 34 states (with more, no doubt, to follow), people still do it. Technology-based solutions may be in the wings, but in the meantime too many innocent lives are being lost or shattered by this careless behavior.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious texting accident caused by a driver who was texting or emailing behind the wheel, you may be entitled to a significant recovery.
Todd Clement of The Clement Firm has been practicing law for more than 25 years. He has made it his life’s work to seek justice for innocent victims of distracted drivers, and has been nationally recognized as a leader in the field. Todd handles only a few cases a year—because he knows that you deserve his full attention from start to finish. And that’s exactly what you’ll get.