The PROBLEM The STATS The State of Texting while Driving

Traffic safety continues to be a major issue affecting all Americans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is charged with the mission to ensure safe operation and movement of roadway motor vehicles in an attempt to reduce both the number and severity of crashes 1. In addition to making our roads safer and reducing fatalities, these measures save costs in vehicle repairs, time lost from congestion or cleanup, and can result in lower insurance premiums. Identifying the causes of crashes is the best way to understand how to move forward and try to implement measures to reduce these crashes. There are three major causes commonly associated with traffic safety: 1) The environment and infrastructure, 2) vehicle design/characteristic flaws, and 3) driver errors or misconduct. Distracted driving is encompassed in this third category and is one in which we see a growing problem particularly with our youth drivers 2 Distracted driving is considered any interference with a driver’s ability to keep their eyes and mind effectively on the road at all times. There are three criteria necessary for safe operations of a motor vehicle: 1) manual engagement, 2) visual engagement, and 3) cognitive attentiveness. A loss of any one of these constitutes distracted driving 3 Some risky behaviors that lead to distracted driving are eating or drinking, applying makeup, reading, talking, adjusting the radio, using navigation systems, etc. However, due to the nature of encompassing all the criteria previously mentioned for safe operations of a motor vehicle, texting and driving has been identified as a serious threat to motorists 4. A single text distracts a driver for 4.6 seconds on average, enough time to cover an entire football field at 55 mph