Missing the Message: Why Can’t We Stop Texting While Driving?

iPhone 6

With most states outlawing texting while driving, it’s surprising to see that most people flat-out ignore those laws and do it anyway. And, you pay for it in increased insurance premiums because people are getting into more accidents. When you’re out there on the road, be safe, and don’t make any of these common driving errors.

You’re Too Worried About What’s Happening At Home

A lot of people are texting friends and family while they drive. It’s an epidemic. But, do that enough times, and you might be calling on A Car Accident Lawyer to help defend you in court. Don’t be so concerned about what’s happening at home.

Be concerned about what’s happening out there on the road. According to a Study done by Pew Internet and American Life Project, 61 percent of adults say that they’ve talked on their mobile phones while driving. That’s clearly a majority, and in all likelihood, you fall into that percentage.

Stop. It’s just not worth the ticket, and you could seriously injure someone else if you’re ever in an accident. Think about how you’d feel if you crashed into someone because you were distracted. It’s an unsafe practice that everyone should curb.

You Don’t Understand The Law

It’s understandable if you don’t understand the law. Most people don’t. In Pennsylvania, police are cracking down on distracted driving. Police Sgt. Christopher Flanagan tells us that, “We want people’s eyes on the road, not on the phone. If you have to text, pull over and take care of business.” And yet, it doesn’t stop busy people from either ignoring the law or engaging in risky driving behavior.

But, ignorance of the law is no excuse for not following it, and many police are now enforcing no-texting laws regardless of whether you’re informed or not. Fines can range from $50 to over $100 in some states.

Texting while driving is expensive. Don’t do it.

You Think You Can Multitask

Most people have two awesome flaws: they believe they’re excellent multitaskers, and they believe they are above average. If you ask people about their driving habits, most of them will tell you that they think they are above average. Of course they are. The reality is that most people are average – by definition.

This really means that a lot of people, most people, are terrible at assessing risk. And, to make matters worse, they believe that they are good multitaskers.

They decide that they can put on makeup, fumble in the car for paperwork, and text while driving. Yet, the statistics from insurance companies and other organizations say this is causing accidents – over 23 percent of all collisions involve cell phone use. Some research even shows that texting while driving can increase your risk of a crash by 23 times.

That’s not percent. It’s 23 times the risk. In other words, if your risk of getting into a crash is 20 percent, you have a 529 percent chance of getting into a crash at some point – ouch. You’re basically lucky if you don’t get into a car crash. That’s how dangerous it is.

It’s a Habit Or You’re Too Social

Being social is a natural human tendency, especially if you’re an extrovert. Sometimes, the pull to Facebook and Twitter is just irresistible. But, there’s a price to pay for this behavior. Sociologist Rich Ling believes that mobile usage has become a habit in society, almost like brushing our teeth or turning on the T.V. at night.

It’s something we do habitually. And, if it’s become second-nature for you, breaking that habit can be difficult. At the same time, it’s necessary. The good news is that there’s more awareness about distracted driving – especially texting while driving. So, hopefully, this becomes less and less of a problem over time. Until then, you need to protect yourself by making a concerted effort to put down the phone, retraining yourself on how to drive. Remember, it wasn’t until just recently in our history that we even had mobile phones in vehicles. You can live without them for the time it takes to get from “A” to “B”.

How To Prove You Were Texting During An Accident

Possibly the worst aspect of texting while driving is the increased risk of having a car accident. Now, if you’re involved in an accident, there are many ways for the prosecution to prove that you were texting. It’s difficult to hide the fact considering lawyers can pull phone records and use them as evidence, police can round up witnesses, there’s the officer’s testimony, and of course there’s your own cell phone which can be used against you.

Keith Kofsky, Esq, has advocated for the victims of auto accidents for over 30 years. One of his goals is to educate people to help them drive safely. You can find his helpful articles on many websites online.