Distracted Driving

Traffic accidents are usually just that, an accident. Driving distractions are a continual cause for concern as people, teens especially, are distracted by all kinds of things going on inside and outside of the vehicle. 

Here’s a list of the most observed distractions: Cell phone use, grooming, eating, use of navigation, interaction with other passengers, adjusting the radio, and reading. Studies have shown that texting is the most distracting because it uses up manual, cognitive, and visual senses. Texting is no stranger to anyone, in the U.S. in June of 2011, 196 billion texts were sent and received. That is an astounding number as it was up 50% from June of 2009. Another alarming stat is that 40% of people have said they were in a car where the teenage driver put them at danger by using a cell phone. Personally, if I am in the car with someone and desperately need to check a text, I would have my passenger do it for me. These next stats show just how much texting can amplify the magnitude of a crash. According to VTTI, texting while riving creates a 23% higher risk of a crash than driving without a distraction. Also, texting while driving gives you the same response time as if you had a .08 blood alcohol rating. This stat makes me thankful that there are now laws against texting and driving in Michigan because if it is the same as someone driving drunk, it needs to be eliminated. When a vehicle is not being controlled by someone, it can be a killing machine. Carnegie Mellon research shows that driving while using a cell phone reduces the mount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. So that means that nearly half of you is driving a car while the other half is telling Jimmy how much you like him. 

When I drive a car, I know how dangerous it can be. So many little things can go wrong, and that is why it is so important to eliminate as many distractions as you can to make your driving experience as safe as possible.