Teenage Texting and Driving - Why it is So Dangerous

Previously it used to be the making of calls on the cell phone while driving which would result in accidents.
Today, it is the texting of messages when using the phone that is in vogue.
Especially among teenagers this has reached enormous proportions. Indeed, texting while driving is the number one factor in teenager deaths involving automobile accidents.
It has also been noted that these distractions also pose a great danger to all drivers on the roads.
Many teenagers are so consumed by their cell phones and so used to texting and talking on their cell phones.

This behavior continues even when they get behind the wheel.

They tend to assume that they can still maintain that behavior and drive a vehicle without any problems.
A survey was conducted in the United States among sixteen to seventeen year old drivers by the Automobile Association of America. Out of the young people surveyed, about 45% admitted to the fact that they text while driving.

Another survey by the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group and the Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) concluded that text messaging when driving is as damaging as drunk driving.
Also the survey showed that about 38% of the 900 teenagers had received and sent text messages while they were driving.

This was despite the fact that they found it distracting. Lastly, this study showed that the biggest disturbance for teenagers while driving is text messaging. A significant percentage of teenagers admit that they occasionally receive and send text messages even though they feel it is a traffic safety issue.

Annually, more than 330,000 people of all ages are injured in cell phone related accidents. Approximately 2,000 deaths were attributed to cell phone distractions. These distractions resulting in the accidents and deaths usually result from practices learned and internalized wile growing up and from lack of experience behind the wheel. The judgment of teenagers when driving is generally very poor because of their inexperience.

Combine that with their formed habit of sending text messages all day and then this habit is carried over into the vehicle. Any messages they receive while driving gives them an urgent desire to send back the response or reply.
They then engage in this deadly practice.
Furthermore some of the parents are involved in this kind of practice and the children therefore learn from them. Whenever a child sees his father or mother texting, or talking on their cell phone while driving, this behavior begins to form in their mind as being acceptable.

Some states are enacting laws that prohibit or regulate this practice.
Some states have prohibited the practice of texting but only enforce it as a secondary infraction.

This means you cannot be pulled over primarily for texting.

You have to have committed another infraction and then they can issue you a citation.
To address the teen texting problem, developers are creating a special Bluetooth equipped key. In the current prototype, pushing a button both releases the key from its shell and activates the embedded Bluetooth technology, which finds the individuals cell phone and puts it into driving mode.

When in driving mode, the phone automatically answers all incoming texts and voice mails with, "I am driving now.
I will call you later when I arrive at the destination safely.

" The only calls allowed out are to emergency services.
When the driver turns off the car, they slide the key back to an inactive mode, which returns the phone to normal operation.
In the final analysis, parents must accept responsibility for their kids. The must conclusively teach their kids good driving habits by engaging in these good habits themselves.

This means they should not drive while talking on the cell phone or while texting.
And they must monitor and watch their kids behaviors to determine the level of trust that can be placed upon their teenage sons and daughters.