Texting while driving causes an estimated 1.6 million accidents each year
Nearly 350,000 people died from accidents caused by distracted driving in 2015. This can be a surprising number when you hear an increased amount of people talking about this issue. Although 67% of people said they felt at risk due to distracted drivers, only 25% admit their own distractions could put others at risk. The "not me" behavior is even more prevalent in teens, where 94% admit the dangers of texting behind the wheel, but 35% still do it regardless. It's a problem that won't go away just because people admit it's there. We don't want to admit that we cannot multitask. So people deflect the blame, this puts you in danger every day, because you never know what kind of person is driving down that lane on your left.
The minimum amount of time spent distracted by a text message is five seconds. It takes an average of only three of those seconds for a car accident to occur. The average speed of travel in the US is 55mph. If you spend five seconds looking at a text at this speed, you have gone the length of a football field. And staring at your phone makes you 23 times more likely to crash, whether it is your fault or the other drivers'. Let's put these facts together. You're traveling the length of of a football field, and how many cars might you pass? Now if 660,000 drivers are distracted at any moment, and it takes just three seconds of distraction for an accident, AND a text requires a minimum of five seconds to process, you're playing with fire at that point.
So what do you do? Well, the answer is simple. Keep your eyes on the road. That's the biggest thing you can do. Do not be in that number of "not me"s. But above that, you should be cautious of other drivers. Always assume that everybody around you is a complete idiot and cannot drive. A car accident takes two, and the fault is not always shared. So don't assume you're safe just because you're not the one texting. And don't be stupid. Don't text and drive.
https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html
