Why and How to Resist Texting While Driving
Anyone with basic common sense will acknowledge the fact that fidgeting with our mobile phone while driving puts us at greater risk of being involved in a car crash. Still, many of us allow ourselves, from time to time (some more frequently than others) to read a text message we got and send a reply while we are driving. In the following paragraphs you’ll find interesting stats and information which will help you resist the urge to text while driving.
The Risk is Greater Than You Think
We’ve already established that the vast majority of drivers know full well that texting and driving is dangerous, but not many know just how dangerous it is. Well, here are some stats which may help put things into perspective. In the U.S. 9 people are killed every day in traffic accidents which occur primarily due to a driver texting while driving, over half a million crashed happen every year because of texting while driving, in fact, nowadays one in every four traffic accidents happens due to texting and driving. The very minute you begin to prepare a text message to send you multiply the chance of being involved in a car crash by 23, that’s right a car driven by someone who is also texting is 23 times more likely to crash (into another vehicle, an obstacle or a pedestrian) than a car the driver of which is keeping their eyes on the road.
You’re Putting Others at Risk Too
Knowing the risks and still deciding to take your chances may be O.K so long as you’re endangering nobody but yourself, this of course is hardly the case with texting while driving. When we allow ourselves to drive in a way that’s any less careful than is expected from all drivers we are not putting only ourselves at risk. If we crash due to texting and driving we may be responsible for causing grave bodily harm, even of killing, passengers in the vehicle we’re driving, in other vehicles or pedestrians. When taking into account how severe the damage we may cause can be it becomes clear that we have no right to put other people at risk in such a way.
Resisting the Urge to Text While Driving
We’ve become accustomed to keeping in constant contact with people we wish to keep such contact with. Many times its family members, friends, coworkers, bosses etc. who regularly communicate with us via text messages and expect to be answered fairly quickly if not immediately. Such people may text us while we are driving not knowing that we are on the road, we feel tempted to answer even though they themselves would probably not want us to wait until we’ve parked.
There are things which you can do in order to help yourself resist the urge to text while driving, you may silence your phone so that you remain unaware of messages received while you’re driving, instructing for a default message to be sent apologizing, explaining that you’re driving and assuring that you’ll reply as soon as possible.
