Texting & driving

Texting and driving is a serious offense and can be fatal, even for experienced drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one out of four vehicle accidents in the US is caused by texting and driving. That adds up to more than 1.5 million accidents annually and 4,300 collisions every day. And many of those crashes are severe. Texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds, and traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the entire length of a football field.

 

Although distracted drivers can be any age, the highest proportion of fatalities involves younger, less experienced drivers under 20 years old. If you have new drivers in your household, be sure to set a good example when you drive. Even though they're teens, they still watch everything you do.

 

Be sure to keep your phone tucked away while you’re driving. Find a designated spot in the car where you can put the phone. Keep the phone outside of arm’s length of the driver’s seat. This place could be the glove compartment, back seat, or a purse or pants pocket.

Install an app that sends automatic responder texts while you are driving. There are several apps available that will sense when the car is going over 10 mph. When you are driving, if someone sends you a text, it will automatically generate a response to whomever texted (text is pre-determined by you).

 

There are many things you can't control when driving – road conditions, the weather, other drivers – but your attentiveness is under your control. You can help keep yourself, your passengers and other drivers around you safer by staying off of your phone and concentrating on driving.