Health & Fitness
Police: Texting and Driving, Don't Do It
Texting and Driving is a dangerous combination.
Texting and driving is a dangerous combination. The following information was obtained from www.textinganddrivingsafety.com.
To wake you up, let’s look at some national statistics. In 2011, at least 23 percent of collisions involved cell phones. That equates to 1.3 million crashes.
The minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you text and drive is five seconds. Text messaging makes a crash 23 times more likely.
Find out what's happening in Sandy Springswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Other activities that increase the risk of a crash: Dialing is 2.8 times more risk; talking or listening 1.3 times more risk; reaching for a device is 1.4 times more risk.
More eye opening stats - 13 percent of drivers age 18-20 involved in car wrecks admitted to texting or talking on their cell phones at the time of a crash. Thirty four percent say they have texted while driving. Fifty two percent say they talked on their cell phones while driving and a whopping eighty two percent of Americans ages 16-17 own cell phones.
Find out what's happening in Sandy Springswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Here is the problem: Some don’t think it’s a problem. Seventy seven percent of young adults are very confident orsomewhat confident that they can safely text while driving. Fifty five percent of young adults claim it’s easy to text while they drive. Here is another problem: Teens who text while driving spend approximately 10 percent of their driving time OUTSIDE of their lane.
What can be done? It is illegal to text and drive in the state of Georgia, no matter the age of the driver. Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from cell phone use while driving.
There is some technology for parents out there. Drivecam monitors a driver’s activity and provides real-time feedback with video. AT&T Drive Mode is a free anti-texting and driving mobile app for Android and BlackBerry. Text-Free-Driving Pledge; teens and parents can take this pledge. Check out www.textinganddrivingsafety.com for more information.
Officer Larry Jacobs is the Crime Prevention Officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department. He can be reached at ljacobs@sandyspringsga.gov.
