Texting & Driving: More Likely to Cause an Auto Accident than Drinking & Driving?

A recent article by Car and Driver magazine examines a disturbing yet growing trend that is one of the leading causes of car accidents, injuries, and automobile deaths in Florida and throughout the country. The article, titled “Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it?” details the massive rise in texting by American drivers and the impact it is having on the road. Texting in itself is extremely widespread and relatively harmless; the sheer convenience and speed of the process elevates its use among cell phone owners every year. The need to skip phone calls entirely and even abbreviate our own language (e.g., the famous acronym “LOL”) is indicative of our hyper-paced, attention-deficient society.

Unfortunately, that 160-character text message can cause serious harm when people send or read texts while driving. In order to be a safe and cautious driver, an individual must be attentive at all times, focus on the road, and react accordingly. Texting hinders each of these elements when a driver is focused on another task that is entirely separate from the act of driving and watching other traffic.

This combination of factors led the authors of the Car and Driver article to test whether texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. The test was conducted in a controlled environment with two drivers (one younger and one older) and measured the reaction times of a drunk driver and then of one who is texting while at the wheel. For both individuals, the reaction times were actually worse while texting than while intoxicated, resulting in longer stopping times and even long interludes where the driver’s eyes were diverted to their phone and away from the road. Obviously, the study is not meant to suggest that this is the case for everyone, but it does shed light on how dangerous this oft-ignored facet of our society’s driving experience can be.

Incredibly, Florida is among just three states in the nation that have no laws restricting cell phone use or texting while driving (Montana and South Dakota are the other two, and their roads are unquestionably less congested).  Despite efforts by some Florida legislators to limit the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving, Gov. Rick Scott does not appear to favor such measures. In 2011, for example, Scott “vetoed a bill (HB 689) that would have required the DMV to provide education on the dangers of electronic distracted driving.”  Until Florida’s lawmakers and leaders come to appreciate the immense risk of injury and death to thousands of Floridians caused by texting and driving, all drivers should remain ever vigilant and cautious on the roads.