Texting and Driving

It’s hard to ignore the urge to read or send a text the moment it flashes on your phone, but texting and driving can be deadly. You should never text and drive. Texting and driving is considered distracted driving (taking your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, your attention off of driving).

Path to improved safety

Avoiding serious injury and even death from texting while driving starts with breaking the habit. You don’t need to read or reply to a text the moment it comes in. It can wait. Instead of instantly responding to a text, try this:

• Pull into a safe parking area.If you are expecting an important text before you get into the car, plan ahead for reading and replying. This means driving to the nearest, safe parking lot. If you’re driving in a town or city, find a parking lot. If you’re on the highway, you may have to wait a bit longer to find an exit that takes you a safe area to park. Never park your car on the side of a highway.
• Tell your friends and family you will not read or reply to texts while you are driving.
• Never text others you know are on the road.
• If you are a parent, make a contract with your new, teen driver not to text and drive. Include aconsequence and follow through if you find out your child is texting while driving.
• Turn your phone off or put it on mute. This will make it easier to resist the temptation of checking your phone.
• Change your phone settings so that while you are driving, texts and other notifications will not be delivered.
• Use safe driving apps to monitor texting and driving of your teen driver.
• Have a passenger help. If you are expecting an important text, ask a passenger (child, spouse, friend) to read and reply to the text for you.
• Put your phone somewhere you can’t reach it. Put it far enough away to make it difficult to reach. Be careful about reaching for it while driving if you return to old habits.
• Avoid all distracted driving. Texting is just one part of distracted driving. Eating, talking on the phone, listening to loud music, reaching for something in the car, shaving, and applying makeup are all examples of distracted driving.
• Check your state laws. More states are creating strict laws about distracted driving each day.
• Be a good example. If you want to teach your young children and teen drivers not to text and drive, then lead by example. Put your phone away with each trip and be consistent. It’s just like showing your children to buckle up with a seat belt before traveling in the car.
• Encourage your children to tell you if a friend or family member is texting while driving. Be sure to say something to that individual. If necessary, don’t allow your child to drive with that person in the future. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to bring it up with anyone who drives your child. It’s too important to ignore.

Texting and driving Things to consider

• According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are 30,000 distracted driving fatalities annually. About 400 of these are due specifically to texting.
• Cell phone use while driving causes 1.6 million crashes a year, according to the National Safety Council.
• If you are caught texting while driving, you may be subject to a large fine or even jail time. This is especially true if the accident results in the injury or death of another person.
• Damage to your vehicle also is expensive. Even a fender bender from texting while driving can be expensive to repair. The more severe the damage, the higher the repair cost.
• Insurance rates increase for a person who texts while driving. This can be a noticeable increase in your monthly expenses. This is especially true if the driver is under the age of 21.
• Lose your license; lose your freedom. If you are charged with texting while driving, you will likely lose your license for a period of time. This depends on the state in which you live. It may not seem like a serious consequence. But when you need to get to school, work, or someplace fun and you don’t have a driver, it can be a real problem. Texting and driving occurs at any age. However, young adult and teen drivers are at a higher risk of this behavior.

Questions to ask your doctor

• Is there technology available to track your child’s texting and driving?
• Should I wait until my teen is a certain age to drive to reduce the risk of distracted driving?

 

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Distracted Driving

Federal Communications Commission: The Dangers of Distracted Driving

United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Distracted Driving