Texting and Driving: The Facts about Distracted Driving Accidents

e

e n><

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ces of dist

ction on the

d n><>n style=”font-

ting, t

p

,

keup, etc. One of the g

test cont

cto

eve

ge. Often this us

m of texting

iving.  n>

n style=”font-

eight: 400;">Texting

nd D

unk D

iving n><

h2>
n style="font-

eight: 400;”>In the l

te 1970s, ls

nd

egul

tions

egding d

unk d

iving expe

ienced

sudden

ise due to c

mp

igning effo

ts of the time in

esponse to the high p

ev

lence of f

t

lities

el

ted to d

unk d

iving. n><

h

ef="https:

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epo

t.nih.gov/nihf

ctsheets

vie

f

ctsheet.

spx?csid=24">n style=”font-

eight: 400;">The N

tion

l Institute of He

lth (NIH)

epo

ts n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;"> th

t d

unk d

iving cont

ibuted to

pp

oxim

tely 60% of t

ffic f

t

lities in the mid-1970s, comp

ed to the 28% in 2016 n><

h

ef="https:

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.cdc.gov

moto

vehicles

fety/imp

i

ed_d

iving

imp

i

ed-d

v_f

ctsheet.html”> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>

epo

ted by the CDC n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">. Ho

eve

,

cco

ding to the s

me CDC

epo

t, the tot

l numbe

of f

t

lities

el

ted to d

unk d

iving in 2016

s n>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">still

bove 10,000 n><

i> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>. n> n style=”font-

eight: 400;">Conside

ing this info

m

tion, it m

y be shocking to len th

t n><

h

ef="https:

/

.bisociety.o

g/texting-

hile-d

iving-vs-d

unk-d

iving-

hich-is-mo

e-d

nge

ous/”> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>texting

nd d

iving m

y be

s d

nge

ous

s d

inking fou

bee

s n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">,

cco

ding to the Bin Inju

y Society.

s esult of dec

des of l

enfo

cement

nd public se

vice

nnouncements, the public

idely vie

s d

unk d

iving

s

t

boo. By contst, texting

nd d

iving is el

tively ne

issue to t

ckle. n>

n style=”font-

eight: 400;">Teens Texting

nd D

iving<

sp

n><

h2>
<

h

ef=”https://

.cdc.gov

Moto

vehicles

fety/Teen_D

ive

s/”> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>Teen

ge

s

e th

ee times mo

e likely n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;"> th

n those ove

20 to get into

f

t

l c

ccident,

cco

ding to the CDC. The

e

e

viety of

e

sons fo

this, but t

o of the lgest cont

ibuting f

cto

s

e cognitive development

nd h

bitu

l

eflex development.

esech suggests th

t the n><

h

ef="https:

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.u

mc.

ocheste

.edu/encyclopedi

content.

spx?ContentTypeID=1&

mp;ContentID=3051″> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>hum

n bin does not finish developing<

sp

n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;"> until

bout the

ge of 25. The consequences of this in the context of teen d

iving l

gely p

esent themselves in the fo

m of poo

isk

ssessment. <

sp

n> n style=”font-

eight: 400;">Teen

ge

s e not only less c

p

ble of quickly ev

lu

ting

t

ffic situ

tion

nd

esponding

pp

op

i

tely, but e

lso mo

e likely to eng

ge in

isky d

iving beh

vio

such

s texting

nd d

iving.

ddition

lly,

s p

eviously mentioned, teen

ge

s just do not h

ve the d

iving expe

ience th

t olde

people do,

nd the

efo

e do not h

ve the h

bits

nd

eflexes of d

iving ing

ined in thei

minds yet. This compounds the

isk of beh

vio

s such

s texting

nd d

iving fo

teen

ge

s, bec

use they do not h

ve the expe

ience to offset it. <

sp

n>

n style=”font-

eight: 400;">T

ucke

s Texting

nd D

iving<

sp

n><

h2>
n style="font-

eight: 400;”>Ho

eve

,

ge

nd expe

ience en’t

complete

emedy foccidents

el

ted to texting

nd d

iving. Even those

ho d

ive fo living commonly cont

ibute to the st

tistics. The pen

lties fo

texting

nd d

iving e mo

e seve

e fo

CMV (Comme

ci

l Moto

Vehicle) d

ive

s comped to othe

d

ive

s. The Fede

l Moto

C

ie

S

fety

dministtion h

s en

cted <

sp

n><

h

ef="https:

/

.fmcs

.dot.gov/d

ive

-s

fety

dist

cted-d

iving

no-texting-

ule-f

ct-sheet”> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>

ules

hich pen

lize comme

ci

l t

uck d

ive

s n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

ith

ddition

l fines

nd license suspensions fo

n><

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com

fou

-ex

mples-t

uck-d

ive

-negligence-c

n-c

use-se

ious-

ccidents

“> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>negligence n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

el

ted to texting

hile d

iving. It is impo

t

nt to note, ho

eve

, th

t the

ddition

l

egul

tions on comme

ci

l t

uck d

ive

s only

el

te to <

sp

n><

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com

c

n-t

ucke

s-use-cell-phones

“> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>h

ndheld cell phone us

ge n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">, not h

nds-f

ee use of phones, such

s GPS.   n> n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

lthough these me

su

es m

y h

ve

educed

ccidents

el

ted to texting

nd d

iving involving comme

ci

l t

uck

nd othe

CMV d

ive

s, it h

s f

f

om elimin

ted them. In 2016, n><

h

ef="https:

/

.fmcs

.dot.gov/sites/fmcs

.dot.gov

files/docs/s

fety

d

t

–

nd-st

tistics/84856/cmvt

ffics

fetyf

ctsheet2016-2017.pdf”> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>6% of c

shes involving

comme

ci

l t

uck n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

e

e the

esult of dist

cted d

iving on the pt of the t

uck d

ive

. 16% of these

e

e c

used by cell phone us

ge. T

ffic

ccidents involving

l

ge t

uck e pticully d

nge

ous due to the size of the vehicles,

nd

hen involved in

c

sh

ith one, it is in the best inte

est of

ffected pties to <

sp

n><

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com

se

vices

houston-t

uck-

ccident-l

ye

“> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>cont

ct

l

ye

<

sp

n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">. <

sp

n>

n style=”font-

eight: 400;">Cell-Phone Use

nd D

iving Ls<

sp

n><

h2>
n style="font-

eight: 400;”>L

s

egding cell phone us

ge

nd d

iving

e mostly instituted on

st

te level. Ho

eve

, the fede

l gove

nment does

lso incentivize st

tes to enfo

ce st

ict ls

bout texting

hile d

iving.  n>

ong>Fede

l Enfo

cement<

st

ong><

h3>
n style="font-

eight: 400;”>In 2012, the n><

h

ef="https:

/

.fh.dot.gov

m

p21

“> n style="font-

eight: 400;”>Moving

he

d fo

P

og

ess in the 21st Centu

y n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;"> bill s signed into l. The legisl

tion offe

ed funding to st

tes

ho h

d p

imy enfo

cement l

s

egding distcted d

iving. P

imy enfo

cement

llo

s

police office

to cite someone

ho is texting

nd d

iving,

ithout obse

ving

ny othe

tffic l infctions.  <

sp

n> n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

ddition

lly, ce

t

in n

tion

l

egul

to

y

gencies c

n

lso imp

ct

est

ictions on texting

hile d

iving. This mostly

pplies to CMVs like comme

ci

l t

ucks, bec

use CMV d

ive

s must

dhe

e to m

ny n

tion

l s

fety

egul

tions, due to thei

use in inte

st

te comme

ce. <

sp

n>

ong>St

te Enfo

cement ong><

h3>
n style="font-

eight: 400;”>

s mentioned, most ls

eg

ding texting

nd d

iving

e d

fted

nd enfo

ced

t the st

te level.

lthough they vy, moves such

s the Moving

he

d fo

P

og

ess bill h

ve encou

ged some homogeneity.

n <

sp

n><

h

ef="https:

/

.ghs

.o

g

st

te-ls

issues/Dist

cted-D

iving">n style=”font-

eight: 400;">ove

vie

of st

te l

s

egding cell phone us

ge n><>n style=”font-

eight: 400;">

hile d

iving,

s

epo

ted by the Gove

no

s’ High

y S

fety

ssoci

tion:<

sp

n>

• eight: 400;”>Cell phone use in
  moto

  vehicle does not h

  ve

  bl

  nket b

  n in

  ny st

  te.  n><

  li>

• n style=”font-
  eight: 400;">

  ny m

  nipul

  tion of

  cell phone by

  novice d

  ive

  is illeg

  l in 39 st

  tes

  nd shington D.C. <

  sp

  n><

  li>

• n style=”font-
  eight: 400;">It is illeg

  l fo

  d

  ive

  to m

  nipul

  te

  cell phone in thei

  h

  nds in 19 st

  tes,

  shington D.C., Gu

  m, Pue

  to

  ico,

  nd the U.S. Vi

  gin Isl

  nds.  n><

  li>

• n style=”font-
  eight: 400;">Texting

  hile d

  iving is illeg

  l in 48 st

  tes, shington D.C., Gu

  m, Pue

  to

  ico,

  nd the U.S. Vi

  gin Isl

  nds.<

  sp

  n><

  li>

• n style=”font-
  eight: 400;">

  lthough cell phone us

  ge

  hile d

  iving is genelly leg

  l in Mont

  nnd Missou

  i, Missou

  i l includes

  stipul

  tion th

  t text mess

  ging is illeg

  l by p

  imy enfo

  cement fo

  d

  ive

  s unde

  the

  ge of 21. <

  sp

  n><

  li>

• n style=”font-
  eight: 400;">Text mess

  ging b

  ns e p

  im

  y enfo

  cement ls in

  ll but 3 st

  tes.<

  sp

  n><

  li>

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