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Studies Suggest Texting While Driving Worse Than DWI

Everybody has learned that driving while intoxicated is a bad thing, but texting while driving does not have that same bad reputation.  Maybe it should.

Car and Driver Magazine did an interesting test to see if texting behind the wheel was worse than drinking while driving.  They used red lights taped to the windshield to simulate the brake lights on the car ahead and they compared braking reaction time.  

They first tried it with no distractions, then while texting, and finally after the drivers were legally drunk.  All of this was done on a closed course.  Believe it or not, the drivers actually did worse in reacting to the brake lights while texting than while impaired by alcohol.  Another study done by Transport London backs this up.  Drivers who texted had slower response times, were more likely to drift out of their lane, and drove worse than intoxicated drivers

Remember at highway speed you're flying down the road 100 feet for every second you have your eyes buried in your text, and that may be the one second that lands you in trouble.  

DPS Trooper Robbie Barrera warns us, “Do not be distracted while you're operating that motor vehicle because the second you do take your eyes off the roadway anything can happen."  

This growing body of evidence all points to the same thing.  When you're driving while texting, you're driving blind.

KEYE TV is trying to get out the word about this dangerous form of distracted driving with our No Txt Zone campaign.  Take the No Txt pledge.

Fred Cantú