How Bad is Texting and Driving?

Written By Frank Bentley

After last week’s blog I was told that I really should have included some statistics on how texting and driving actually stacks up against driving under the influence. As a result, I scoured the internet and got some solid information about how bad texting and driving is for our country.

Something you should keep in mind is that it takes years for the Departments of Transportation in the various states to compile the information and make it available to the public, so all of the numbers below are based on the newest available information.

• In 2014, 26% of all car crashes involved cell phone use.
• In 2015, 391,000 people were injured by distracted driving.
• In 2015, 42% of teens said they had texted while driving.
• In 2016, 3450 people were killed by distracted driving.
• At least 9 people are killed every day because of a distracted driver.
• More than 1,000 people are injured every day due to a distracted driver.
• Texting and driving is the leading cause of death in teens.

Distracted driving is a very important topic and the numbers don’t lie. Last week’s blog talked about the laws and what happens if you are caught texting vs drinking and driving. Do you think the statistics and the laws are balanced?  Do the laws regarding distracted driving make it important to the drivers to follow the safety rule?

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