Texting While Driving

Texting While Driving – The New Driving Danger

Texting while driving is a relatively new phenomenon and therefore there is not a lot of data on how many accidents can be attributed to texting while driving. However, some preliminary data has been collected.

Texting While Driving Statistics

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gathered the following statistics:

• 80% of all crashes occur due to distracted drivers
• 65% of all near crashes occur due to distracted drivers

According to a National Mutual Insurance survey:

• 37% of people ages 19 – 33 text while driving
• 21% of people ages 45 - 63 text while driving

Teen Texting While Driving

According to a study done by Nielsen the typical teen sends nearly 80 text messages per day. This equates to sending 2,400 texts per month. What the study does not say is how many texts they are receiving as well.

As with all texting while driving statistics there is no hard data to equate teen driving accidents with texting while driving. However, a study was done by Eastern Virginia Medical School and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.

This study enlisted 21 teens between the ages of 16 and 18 to partake in a simulated driving course where they would be asked to text while driving, talk on the phone and use an MP3 player.

The results indicated that texting while driving was the biggest cause of the teens swerving out of their lane, hitting virtual pedestrians and slowing down to unsafe speeds.

Pulling It All Together

With no hard numbers to associate teen driving accidents with texting while driving it is difficult to make a strong case against texting while driving. However, we can draw some obvious conclusion from the given data.

It is no secret that texting while driving is a distraction for people of all ages – regardless of what people may say. Therefore, if we look at the data provided above it states that teens are more likely to get in an accident when texting while driving and their parents (ages 45 – 65) are enabling the behavior.

It is our jobs as parents to set a good example for our driving teens of what is an acceptable behavior behind the wheel and texting while driving is not one of them.

At Alive at 25 we help reinforce good driving behavior. Taught by current and retired law enforcement Alive at 25 provides educational courses to teens about the possible dangers of driving and stress the importance of defensive driving.