Texting a threat to driver safety

In a world where finding a strong Wi-Fi signal or checking Facebook notifications can be a teenager’s top priority, sparing a minute away from the increasingly connected world can be hard. Teenagers send and receive an average of 60 texts a day, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, and cell phone usage is expected to grow significantly over the coming years.

Lately, however, the issue of texting has extended beyond the realm of classrooms and dinner tables to one of a teenager’s most dangerous settings: behind the wheel.

Texting and driving can have more dangerous implications than one may initially think. According to KeepTheDrive.com, texting and driving can increase one’s risk of crashing 23-fold. One text while driving has the same impact of four beers; texting while driving is effectively just as dangerous as driving drunk.

Despite California’s Wireless Communications Device law, which prohibits writing, sending or reading text messages while driving, many people, especially at the high school level, neglect the disastrous consequences of texting while driving.

Yet it’s not just texting that’s the issue; distracted driving in general is a serious danger. Just reaching for a phone — whether it be to change the song that’s playing, check driving directions or just look at the time — can increase one’s risk of a crash by nine times, according to KeepTheDrive.com. Eighty percent of all crashes involve driver inattention within 3 seconds of the crash.

Even at a seemingly safe location such as a stoplight, drivers should continue to devote their full attention to the road and their surroundings.

Adding to the already high risk for young drivers, many ignore the rule prohibiting teenagers from driving other passengers within the first year of getting a license. A simple walk through the school parking lot during lunch time reveals dozens of students outright ignoring this law.

Before getting their “year,” many upperclassmen — if not all — drive past the 11 p.m. curfew or take their friends along in the car. These young drivers are not just putting themselves at 0risk; by driving peers illegally, they risk others’ lives as well.

Motor vehicle-related injuries are the leading cause of death for people from ages 1 to 34, ahead of suicide and homicide. Furthermore, teens crash four times more often than any other age group.

While a single text message may not appear to make that much of an impact, the few seconds it takes to send could mean the difference between life and death. It’s time that young drivers realize the consequences their decisions can have — not only on themselves, but on the people around them.