*Texting+While+Driving

=TEXTING WHILE DRIVING.. = =﻿= As we all know, technology is taking over and becoming more apparent in our world. Texting is one of those technologies that started off as just teens taking advantage of and is now reaching an even older crowd. It’s not just kids texting anymore, adults and older people are sending the messages as well. This means that there are more people on the road that are texting and driving. Driving and texting is just as dangerous as driving under the influence because your full attention is not on the road just as if you were under the influence. Nine states have totally banned cell phone use while in the car and more states are starting to consider the law as well. The average death rate for texting while driving is 6,000 a year. This is becoming a big problem in our world! Not only are there deaths due to this dangerous activity but also, an average of 448,000 injuries a year. These numbers might make people think twice before picking up that cell phone and clicking away while at the wheel.

[|Video on texting while driving]

New research by the Governors Highway Safety Association show that 25% of accidents in the U.S are associated with a driver being distracted by their cellphone, or some form of technology. [|A new study on accidents in the U.S]

There is no certain age that is to blame for this dangerous task. All ages are guility of texting and driving. It makes me wonder what we ever did without carrying a cell phone everywhere? **Despite all the danger, texting While Driving is fun too.**   **What Every Driver Should Know**    A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, along with prior studies by Liberty Mutual Insurance and state-funded organizations located online, reveals the shocking statistics of texting behind the wheel:   
 * 1) Texting while driving increases the risk of accident **23.2 times** over unimpaired driving.
 * 2) Texting while driving results in longer response times than even drunken driving. While an unimpaired driver can respond quickly to changes in traffic and begin braking within half a second, a legally drunk driver needs four additional feet to begin braking—and a driver who’s texting needs 70.
 * 3) In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spend nearly five seconds looking at their mobile devices—enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more area than the length of a football field.
 * 4) Though 95 percent of drivers surveyed said texting behind the wheel was unacceptable and unsafe, at least 21 percent admit to doing it anyway.
 * 5) Especially amongst teens, texting results in erratic driving behavior, like lane weaving and speeding up and down, increasing the likelihood of hurting pedestrians and running into other vehicles.
 * 6) Texting behind the wheel is generational: 37 percent of drivers 18 to 27 admit to texting while driving, compared to 14 percent of 28 to 44 year olds, and 2 percent of 45 to 60 year olds.
 * 7) An accident can happen in two to three seconds while texting.