Study Provides Concrete Evidence of the Dangers of Texting While Driving
Researchers at the University of North Texas' (UNT) Health Science Center recently released the results of a landmark study of the real-world impact of text messaging behind the wheel.

December 03, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Researchers at the University of North Texas' (UNT) Health Science Center recently released the results of a landmark study of the real-world impact of text messaging behind the wheel. After meticulous analysis of six years' (2001-2007) worth of data from the Fatality Accident Reporting System, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the International Association from the Wireless Telecommunications Industry (CTIA), the UNT team uncovered the true impact of texting while driving. They also discovered the startling extent of the rapid growth in the telecommunications industry in the past decade.

The Shocking Number of Deaths

In the short period between 2001 and 2007, over 16,000 people lost their lives in texting-related motor vehicle accidents. Clearly, not all of those fatalities were the drivers/texters themselves -- the majority of lost lives were innocent bystanders -- passengers in vehicles where the operators were texting or those just going about their business in a different car altogether. Increasing numbers of accidents are being seen among younger males who are texting while driving alone and are involved in single-car accidents when they strike obstructions like telephone poles, parked vehicles or vegetation.

The same time that the rate of behind-the-wheel texting injuries and accidents rose, so did the amount of text messages sent annually. Amazingly, in the year 2001, when less than half of America's population had a cellular phone, there were still roughly one million texts sent each month. That figure rose to an astonishing 110 million per month -- 1.320 billion annually.

Unfortunately, experts estimate that at any given time, roughly six percent of U.S. drivers are using a cell phone in some capacity while driving. Even talking on the phone has been shown to have a significant impact on driver reaction times, attentiveness and ability; the negative impact increases exponentially when more involved activities -- like sending or reading texts or checking e-mail -- are occurring.

The Movement to Ban Cell Phones Behind the Wheel

The majority of states -- 28 -- now ban the use of all handheld communication devices behind the wheel. Texas is not one of those states, though, to the dismay of several public safety advocacy groups. Texas legislators have taken steps to protect children with the laws they have passed that govern the use of handheld cell phones. Texas laws prohibit:
- The use of all handheld cell phones in school zones
- Sending or receiving text messages in school zones (while not specifically enumerated, this prohibition would logically flow to also include sending or reading e-mails)
- The use of handheld cell phones and texting or e-mailing by school bus drivers when they have passengers onboard under the age of 17 -- this law is regardless of the location of the bus, so it is not just limited to school zones
- The use of handheld cell phones and texting or e-mailing by novice drivers, those who have had their drivers' licenses for less than 12 months

In Texas, the bans on cell phone use and the practice of behind-the-wheel texting by both school bus drivers escorting passengers and novice drivers are "primary offenses." This means that someone observed doing one of those prohibited activities can be pulled over by law enforcement for that action alone -- a traffic stop does not have to be based upon the violation of some other traffic-related law. In several other states, using a handheld or texting while driving is only a "secondary offense," so the driver must have also broken some other law -- like running a red light, failing to yield the right of way, speeding or changing lanes without signaling -- before a traffic stop can be initiated. The penalty for the secondary texting/handheld law violation is then essentially tacked on to the primary violation.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In Texas and in other states, there is still strong public opinion to ban all people from texting behind the wheel, not just school bus drivers or inexperienced ones. Some states have drafted specific provisions preventing the use of handhelds in construction zones as well in an attempt to save lives. Others have implemented outright bans of any and all handheld devices behind the wheel -- the federal government has recently taken this drastic step as well, banning all federal employees from using a handheld phone or PDA behind the wheel regardless of whether they are in their own vehicle or in a government-issued one.

Technology is evolving to fill the gap between legal prohibitions and personal responsibility. For example, a new mobile phone application, tXtBlocker, is now being sold in Best Buy stores around the country. This application disables text and web browsing functionality once the car is moving more than 15 miles per hour. Phone calls will only be allowed to certain "SafeList" recipients or to 911, and an automatic reply is sent to incoming callers or texters informing them that the driver is currently unavailable. So-called "No Cell Zones" are another option being considered to harness rapidly developing technology in a way that will make people safer. These zones are essentially "dead" zones -- a lack of service for incoming or outgoing calls (except those to 911) will, by default, prevent texting and chatting behind the wheel.

Regardless of laws, technological roadblocks or personal consequences, some people will continue to text while driving, running the risk of injury-causing or fatal accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured by a driver who was talking, texting or e-mailing behind the wheel, contact an experienced personal injury attorney in your area to learn more about your legal rights and options.

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