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Scary Facts About Texting While Driving

Scary Facts About Texting While Driving

Texting while driving is something most drivers have done at one point or another. There are various studies out there with stats on the percentage of people who text and drive. On the low side, the numbers show 60% or more have admitted to texting and driving at some point. On the high end, the numbers are closer to 80%.

The real problem is with people who actually think they are “good at it.” I’ve heard morons claim they are good at driving drunk and others who boast the ability to put on makeup or shave while driving to work. But to say you’re good at texting while driving is like saying you drive ok with a blind fold on. I mean, really? If true, that’s a really impressive skill!

This is how deadly distracted driving is… 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are 3,142 lives lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2019 — that’s 9% of all recorded fatal crashes in that year! And if you count the number of people who died in these crashes caused by distracted drivers from 2019-2021, that will be around 26,000 and more!

In 2018, over 2,800 people were killed and an estimated 400,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in the US. What’s even scarier is that about 1 in 5 of the people who died in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2018 were not in vehicles―they were walking, riding their bikes, or otherwise outside a vehicle.

Texting While Driving Facts

In case you were wondering, yes. This is where I scare you out of doing anything other than keeping both hands on the wheel at all times! Actually, I’ve never been a real scary guy. So instead, here are some interesting facts by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

    • In 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones (that’s 1.3 million crashes).
    • In controlled studies, those who text and drive spent about 10% of their texting time outside of their driving lane.
    • In another controlled study, most drivers took their eyes off the road for 3 to 5 seconds while texting. That’s the length of a football field! The same study also showed that people thought their eyes were off the road for half that.
    • 97% of teens say texting and driving is dangerous, yet 43% admit to doing it!
    • 75% of teens say their friends text and drive. 77% say their parents text and drive.
    • At any given time, approximately 1 in 5 drivers around you are reading or writing a text message (scary!).

And this is how smartphones contribute to this . . .

Looking back, these past years have brought a lot of distractions to drivers mainly attributed to smartphones. We’re not only dealing with the dangers linked to texting while driving, which even now, is considered the most dangerous type of distracted driving.  

Remember, anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. It can be a visual distraction, which involves taking your eyes off the road; or manual, wherein you remove your hands off the wheel; even cognitive, wherein you let your mind wander off to someplace else while you’re driving. 

All these types of distractions take place when you use your phone – when you send a message, talk or video call, or even when you consult with your navigation system. 

And yes, any of these distractions can endanger you. But what’s even scarier is that you can endanger the life of other people, too – your passengers and strangers who happen to cross paths with you on the road.

Save A Friends Life

I’m not going to imply that you can talk all your friends out of texting while driving. I wish I had a magic phrase you could say to make that happen, but I don’t. The way you can potentially save your friends life, though, is to never text them when you know they are driving. Don’t send driving directions, don’t send a quick “see ya soon!” – just let them drive.

Now, I’m not a real sappy kind of guy, but watch the short video below. It’s pretty powerful stuff. If this video doesn’t effect you, I’m not sure what that says about you as a human being! Don’t be the one who sent the message which got your friend killed. This happens all too often.


Powerful Video About Texting While Driving

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