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Texting and driving is a form of distracted driving and has been said to be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Ray Lahood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, described the cell phones in drivers’ hands as “unguided missiles.”
Although 30 U.S. states have enacted laws that ban texting and driving, or talking and driving, a problem with enforcement of these laws still exists. Lahood says there are just not enough police issuing tickets.
Below are some fatal incidents of texting and driving:
Ashley Amos, 16, of North Carolina was killed in a head-on collision with a truck. Police records revealed that two minutes before the fatal crash, Ashley received a text message on her phone. After retrieving the text message, Ashley’s car swerved and slammed head-on into a truck. Ashley tragically died from the collision.
26-year-old Heather Hurd was killed on a Florida highway when a tractor trailer going 65 mph slammed into 9 cars stopped at an intersection. The collision killed Heather and a young nurse in another vehicle. The driver of the tractor trailer never even applied his breaks. The driver was texting while driving.
Laurie Hevier’s 58-year-old mother was killed while hiking alongside a highway in Minnesota. The driver the automobile was a 19-year-old woman. Hevier said that there was neither an attempt to break nor skid marks. Police estimated the driver to be distracted for more than 8 seconds. The young woman was given a ticket for “inattentive driving” and fined $175. Hevier is still devastated by her mother’s death, calling the accident a “preventable one”. If you would like to read more on this story please see Texting while driving becomes an epidemic in the U.S.
Distracted driving is the cause of too many fatal collisions and personal injuries. Using your cell phone while driving takes your focus off of the road and can be as deadly as driving while intoxicated. While driving, use your phone for emergency purposes only. Text messages and phones calls can wait until your vehicle is parked or otherwise stopped.