Sure, talking on your mobile phone while driving is illegal in certain parts of the country, but it’s a heck of a lot better than sending SMS text messages or emails while trying to keep your car on the right track. Unfortunately, a new study by FindLaw suggests that many of you out there are guilty of tapping out a text message, instant
message, or email while behind the wheel of your fast-moving death machine.
Granted, you might not kill yourself, or the people in that other car you’re more likely to hit, but there’s still the matter of damaging someone else’s property or inflicting bodily harm. FindLaw has found that, much like in the UK, almost half of US motorists aged 18 to 24 years old have admitted to sending text-based messages while on the road. To be more specific, 48% of this young demographic has apparently risked putting a dent in my ride for the sake of getting their message sent to their friends and family. And you thought that distracted, barely licensed soccer mom in the 3-ton SUV was a danger on the road. Try going up against a youngster with almost zero attention paid to the road.
To be fair, 27% of older drivers aged 25-34 years old also admitted to using the text messaging capabilities of their handsets while driving. More interesting is the fact that the “texting while driving” phenomenon seems to be correlated with age – younger adults are more likely to tap out messages on their handsets while piloting their vehicle. Of the 1,000 people surveyed in this study, 17% in total were reported to have texted while driving.
Here’s the demographic breakdown of adults that admitted to having sent text messages, instant messages, or emails on the road:
- 18-24 48%
- 25-34 27%
- 35-44 19%
- 45-54 11%
- 55-64 2%
- 65+ 1%
“The potential legal implications of texting while driving go far beyond the possibility of a mere traffic violation,” says FindLaw attorney Stephanie Rahlfs. “In the case of a traffic accident, proof that the driver was texting while driving may be used to help prove liability for the accident, even in states that do not ban texting while driving.”
So, put that phone down and pay attention to the road. You wouldn’t want to explain to a jury of your peers why you prioritized your text message over human life, would you?
[Via: CellularNews]