Texting While Driving a Bad Mix?

A new report has surfaced about the dangers of driving and texting from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. While most of us feel that this is a no-brainer – VTTI decided to take it a step further and get some numbers for us to ponder.

Their rational:

Given recent catastrophic crash events and disturbing trends, there is an alarming amount of misinformation and confusion regarding cell phone and texting use while behind the wheel of a vehicle,” said Dr. Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, in a statement. “The finding from our research at VTTI can help begin to clear up these misconceptions, as it is based on real-world driving data.

VTTI found that users driving heavy vehicles and trucks were at a 23.2 times higher risk of crashing or near crashing than those drivers paying full attention to the road.

Heavy Vehicle/ truck drivers were also at a 5.9 times higher risk of crashing while dialing a cell phone – but only 1 times higher when talking or listening on a cell phone.

Drivers in light vehicles or cars were at a 2.8 times higher risk of crashing while dialing a cell phone but only 1.4 times as high while reaching for an object that took there eyes off the road.

VTTI went on to recommend that:

• Texting should be banned for all drivers in while in or attempting to move a vehicle.
• That anything that takes the eyes away from the visual context of driving should be avoided
• That headsets are not really safer than “hand-held” devices, because they both require the operator to complete visual tasks such as dialing and answering. That only “true hands-free” phone systems pose a lesser risk – where the user can dial and answer the phone via voice commands.
• That all texting and cell phone usage should be completely banned for newly licensed teens.

Again while most of us guessed that cell phone usage and texting can lead to serious and even fatal consequences. Many times a report of this nature has to come to light in order for some sort of action to be taken by the powers that be.

My suggestion is simple, if you don’t have a voice activated cell phone system in your vehicle – stay off the phone! If it is an emergency and you absolutely have to use the phone – pull your vehicle over to a safe area.