Texting While Driving Accidents Involving College Students Serious, Common
Texting while driving accidents have quickly become one of the most common causes of car accidents in the United States, especially among teenagers and college students. Nationwide, texting while driving has become the leading cause of death among teenagers.
Consider the statistics compiled in 2013 by Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York:
- More than 3,000 teenagers die each year in car accidents involving texting drivers
- More than 2,700 teenagers die in auto accidents involving drunk drivers
Sadly, such statistics come as no surprise to any texting while driving accident attorney in West Palm Beach, FL or anywhere else in the country for that matter. Day in and day out, far too many young drivers die in texting while driving accidents.
Why do young drivers text and drive more than older drivers?
Many of us probably already know the answer to this question. High school students and college students text and drive more because they’ve grown up with cellphones all around them. We think nothing of texting friends and family dozens of times a day. And since texting takes so little time, many young drivers probably think there’s no harm sending or receiving a text while driving.
Is texting while driving more dangerous than regular driving?
Yes. Study after study has found that texting while driving dramatically increases the likelihood of the driver being involved in a car accident. One widely-reported scientific study found that texting while driving increased the likelihood of a driver being involved in an auto accident by 23 times compared to drivers who do not text and drive.
Is texting while driving legal for teenager drivers?
Laws vary from state to state and often change from month to month. As of May 2014, 43 states have laws banning texting while driving. In addition, four states (Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas) prohibit novice drivers from texting while driving.
Texting while driving is legal for all drivers with no restrictions in the following states:
- Arizona
- Montana
- South Carolina
What are the penalties for texting while driving?
Penalties for texting while driving vary from state to state. The laws are divided into two categories: primary and secondary laws.
- Primary texting while driving laws – Police officers can stop drivers simply for texting while driving and no other traffic violation. Some of the states with primary texting while driving laws include California, New York, Illinois and Michigan.
- Secondary texting while driving laws – Police officers must have a secondary reason for stopping a driving who’s texting while driving. Some of the states with secondary texting while driving laws include Florida, Iowa, Ohio and South Dakota
What can I do to stop texting while driving?
If friends or family members text and drive, tell them they need to stop – even if texting while driving is legal in your state. Study after study has shown that texting drivers don’t pay attention to what’s happening around them. That’s why texting drivers cause so many accidents.
Your opinions can influence people more than you might realize. When you tell someone he or she shouldn’t text and drive, you’re reinforcing a message more people hear every single day. And the more people who speak out against texting while driving, the less likely people will engage in such dangerous activities.
People used to think drinking and driving wasn’t a big deal decades ago. Nowadays, most responsible adults would never dream of drinking and driving. The same shift in attitude needs to happen with texting while driving – and you can help make that happen, one conversation at a time.