If you look down to text for five seconds while driving at moderate speed... you are traveling the length of a football field... totally blind.
There have been some studies that suggest that distracted driving, especially driving while texting is actually more dangerous than driving under the influence. That’s not to say that drunk driving is OK, and the distinction should be noted between having a BAC at or slightly above the legal limit and being pie-eyed drunk or drugged out of one’s skull. But a driver who may be slightly impaired, while their reaction times and judgment is reduced, they are typically trying to pay attention to the road, perhaps even more so than usual. But a driver who is looking down at their cell phone either to send or read a text or emails or posting on social media, is totally oblivious to the road and other drivers around them.
Yes, you go a long distance, the length of a football field in five seconds at moderate speed. Imagine closing your eyes for five seconds while driving – same thing.
I am amazed how many drivers I see on the road driving with their cell phones in hand and texting. There was a guy behind me just last week doing it and he appeared to be a middle aged guy, probably a business man. He nearly rammed into me at a red light. Of course it’s not just cell phones, other distractions are dangerous like the guy I saw on I-95 one morning with a newspaper draped over his steering wheel, a man eating a bowl of what looked like raman noodles with chopsticks no less and the woman tailgating me who was, no I’m not making this up, flossing her teeth.
I love my smart phone and I do use it for GPS driving directions, but I set the route before I leave the house and I put the phone in a cradle on my dashboard so I don’t have to look down at it or even look at it at all with the voice directions. I don’t read or answer texts while driving and in fact I don’t talk on the phone while driving, for one thing I drive a manual transmission car so holding a phone up to my ear, if I need to shift, means my other hand can’t be on the steering wheel and even using the blue tooth headset with voice commands is too much of a PITA and a distraction. I usually leave my phone in my purse and if someone calls or texts me, I don’t even know until I’ve reached my destination and usually it’s not important or something that can’t wait.
Speaking of that, if you have about thirty minutes (and are not in your car driving) watch this:
From One Second To The Next" A Film By Werner Herzog- It can wait
This should be required watching for anyone who has a cell phone and has ever texted while driving. It might not prevent people from still doing it, but it might stop some. Put the phone away while in the car. It can wait.