For Teens, Distracted Driving Not Seen as Accident Danger
For many teenagers, texting while driving is not as dangerous as people make it out to be. This is according to a new survey from State Farm Insurance. The insurance giant found that most teens believe texting is less risky than drinking and driving, though research shows it could be even more dangerous.
According to a press release from the company, 36 percent of teens between 14 and 17 years of age strongly agree they could be killed one day if they regularly text and drive while 55 percent believe drinking and driving could lead to a fatal accident. Sixty-three percent believe they could get into an accident from texting and driving, while 78 percent believe they could get into an accident if they are drinking and driving.
The survey was administered by Harris Interactive in July and asked the questions of nearly 700 teens.
Perhaps not surprisingly, those teens who already text and drive don’t see it as dangerous as those who refrain from the practice. Among those who abstain, 73 percent believe texting and driving could lead to an accident, while only 52 percent of those who actually text and drive believe they could be in an accident. Continue reading
Federal Government Cracks Down on Distracted Driving
The feds are getting involved in what is perhaps one of the leading causes of car accidents: distracted driving. They’ve set up a website (Distraction.gov) with numerous tools to aid in educating drivers and preventing accidents.
According to Distraction.gov, distracted driving is defined as, “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety.” They go on to provide examples of distracted driving, perhaps the most prevalent and widely discussed of which is texting.
If you spend any amount of time on the roads, you see people texting and driving. You also probably see people putting on makeup, fumbling with their music, reaching forward to use their GPS, and eating. Any of these activities can take your eyes off the road. Any one of them could lead to disaster. Continue reading