Distracted driving kills and injures thousands of people worldwide each year. I pledge to:
Protect lives by never texting or talking on the phone while driving -
Be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is distracted -
Encourage my friends and family to drive phone free -
Over 1/3 of drivers (37%) have sent or received text messages while driving, and 18% said they do it regularly.
Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old.
Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
Using a cellular phone in any way while operating a motor vehicle can cause ill effects.
Operating a motor vehicle requires the use of at least five parts of the driver’s brain: the parietal lobe, the frontal lobe, the occipital lobe, the temporal lobe and the cerebellum.
Text messaging and talking on a cellular phone require many of the same brain parts, producing the horrible effects of driving while texting
Problems arise when drivers attempt to complete two tasks using the same parts of the brain.
The operator usually ends up with distracted driver syndrome.
The driver’s reaction time decreases significantly.
His or her judgment becomes impaired.
Additionally, the eyes are not able to focus on the road well enough to foresee an impending accident.
An accident can occur in as little as three seconds.
Rear end collisions occur because many distracted drivers shift their concentration from the road to their cell phone screens.
Anything can happen ahead of a driver.
The driver in the front might apply his or her brakes abruptly to avoid an accident.
Unfortunately, that person might still receive a rear end ram from a distracted texter.
It seems funny to many people that you can get pulled over or have an accident while texting -
But not all text messaging related automobile accidents end in a chuckle.
In 2009, over 5,000 people died from accidents involving the horrible effects of driving while texting which distracted drivers.
Thirty-five out of 50 U.S. states have a
ban
on text messaging while driving.
Forty-two states also have laws concerning beginner drivers.
The problem has become so serious that officers have the authority to charge drivers with a violation even they are not committing any other traffic offenses.
Automobile Insurance Rates
Over the past few years, insurance rates have risen for novice drivers and teenagers.
Part of this increase in premiums is because of the accidents caused by the horrible effects of driving while texting or messaging.
Insurance companies have less trust in their younger drivers because cell phones are so popular with the youth of the world.
Any young person seeking to find insurance coverage should visit InsuranceQuotes.org for research and comparison.
Drivers can use the tools provided at InsuranceQuotes.org to locate reasonable coverage within the state.
From there, the consumer can compare benefits and terms from various agencies.
He or she can select coverage from a suitable company.