Which is worse - drinking and driving or texting and driving?

There are approximately 202 million licensed drivers in the USA according to Statista.com.  At any given daylight moment there are about 660,000 drivers using phones or other electronic devices while driving. 

Despite warnings that it causes their driving to deteriorate and may lead to accidents, injuries or death, Americans continue to use electronic devices while driving.  More than 3,300 people were killed in 2011 and almost 40,000 people were injured in car accidents involving a distracted driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While 10,228 deaths attributed to drunk driving crashes occured in the same year.

Alcohol related accidents account for 31% of all traffic fatalities in 2011. Distracted driving accidents account for about10% of all traffic fatalities in 2011. The great majority of that 10% was due to phoning and texting. 

According to the Human Factors quarterly journal (2005), motorists who are engaged in cell phone conversations while driving are less capable than drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding .08. 

Scary, right? Particularly since 85% of adults in the USA own a cell phone. With a greater awareness of the potential cell phones have to distract drivers, many states, and even cities, are adopting laws that limit or restrict the use of cell phones while driving. Yet, we continue to see high numbers of fatalities due to both drunk driving and cell phone use.

Car and Driver Magazine did a comparison study to determine how dangerous using a cell phone while driving really is. Here's what they did, rigging a car with a red light to alert drivers when to brake, the magazine tested how long it takes to hit the brake when sober, when legally drunk at .08, when reading and e-mail, and when sending a text. The results are scary.

Driving 70 miles per hour on a deserted air strip Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman was slower and slower reacting and braking when e-mailing and texting.

The results:

Unimpaired: .54 seconds to brake

Legally drunk: add 4 feet

Reading e-mail: add 36 feet

Sending a text: add 70 feet

When he took the test for reading e-mail or texting, he was just as slow to react. On average, it took him 4x longer to hit the brake. 

Is texting and driving worse than drinking and driver - ABSOLUTELY!! Here's why, its our attitudes!  Americans correctly view drinking and driving as being wrong. But when it comes to texting and driving, we are not as outraged.  Probably because many of us have done it and still do it (even though it's banned in 14 states).

Sadly, it will likely take more accidents and more deaths to change that attitude. There are countless stories of teens dying in accidents because the driver was texting while driving.

To prevent distracted driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation recommends:

Turning off electronic devices and putting them out of reach.

Setting a good example for young drivers and talking to teens about responsible driving.

Speaking up when you are a passenger and the driver uses an electronic device or offering to make a call for the driver.

Always wearing your seat belt.

To schedule a free consultation to discuss your car accident or personal injury case, contact Gladys Wiles, the Personal Injury Attorney at Snyder & Wiles, PC today at 610-391-9500. 

Gladys Wiles

Snyder & Wiles, PC

7731 Main Street

Fogelsville, PA 18051