In a recent study, the AAA Foundation announced that teen distracted driving could be more widespread than previously believed. According to the foundation, teen drivers were inattentive or engaged in some other non-driving related activity in 58% of all observed crashes.
Technology and Distracted Driving
Technology is amazing. I am always in awe of the latest gadgets that come out that help simplify or better organize our lives. But at what point does technology actually hinder us? Especially behind the wheel.
Voice-to-text apps offer no driving safety benefit
Texting drivers may believe they’re being more careful when they use the voice-to-text method, but new research findings suggest that those applications offer no real safety advantage over manual texting.
The study was sponsored by the Southwest Region University Transportation Center and conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. SWUTC is a part of the University Transportation Centers Program, which is a federally-funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.
Remember Alex Brown
Alex Brown died in an auto accident in 2009 after she lost control of her truck while she was texting. Her truck rolled and because Alex was not wearing a seat belt, she went out the passenger side window and was crushed by the truck. Since Alex’s death the Brown family has been traveling the country, pulling Alex’s wrecked truck, to bring awareness to texting and driving and asking teens everywhere to take the pledge to not text and drive.
What do sexting and driving have in common?
For some teens, sexting is an all-too-common activity, and they don’t see why it’s such a big deal. For those of you who haven’t ever heard of sexting, it’s the practice of sharing explicit photos, videos and chat, by cell phone or online – and it has become pretty popular with teenagers.
An Associated Press-MTV poll found that more than a quarter of young people have been involved in sexting in some form, at some time.
North Carolina latest state to ban texting while driving
You’ve probably noticed lately that a lot of states have been banning text messaging while driving. Well, you can add another one to the list. North Carolina is the next state to ban texting while driving for all drivers.
The law went into effect December 1, 2009. In order to get a ticket, your car must be in motion while you are texting. For North Carolina the fatal crash rate for 16- to 19-year-olds has trended slightly upward.