Driving While InTEXTicated?

Cell phones and other mobile communication devices have become a part of our everyday life. Indeed, they can save time, effort, even our lives. But misused, they can be deadly, too!

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute highlights these dangers (CNN article). Investigators found that reaching for an electronic device, dialing a mobile phone, and holding a phone conversation all caused the risk of a collision to rise. Not surprisingly, however, it was texting that caused the real problems. The study found that truckers who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to crash or to get into a near-wreck than undistracted drivers. The reasons are obvious: Even skilled multi-taskers have trouble concentrating on the road while composing a message, manipulating a tiny keyboard, and occasionally glancing at the screen—all while guiding a multi-ton vehicle through traffic.

While Florida currently does not regulate drivers' use of mobile communication devices, that could soon change. Under legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, states that do not ban texting by drivers could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

We shouldn't need Congress to remind us of the dangerous, however. Ninety percent of the sensory information needed to safely operate a motor vehicle is visual, and anything that draws a driver's attention away from the roadway for more than a few seconds is a serious distraction that could have deadly results. In short, remind your students: don't text and drive!