Texting while driving

Texting while driving is considered extremely dangerous by many people, including authorities, and in some places has either been outlawed or restricted.

Research by the NHTSA suggests that, in the United States in 2021, at any given daylight moment, an estimated 660,000, out of almost 212 million licensed drivers, used their phones while driving.

[2] In 2010 the International Telecommunication Union said that "texting, making calls, and other interaction with in-vehicle information and communication systems while driving is a serious source of driver distraction and increases the risk of traffic accidents".

[3] In 2022, 3,308 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in the U.S.[4] In the United Kingdom, according to the latest Reported Road Casualties Great Britain (2022), 22 people were killed and 674 injured in road traffic collisions where a driver using a mobile phone was considered to be a contributory factor.

A simulation study at the Monash University Accident Research Center provided strong evidence that retrieving and, in particular, sending text messages has a detrimental effect on a number of safety-critical driving measures.

[8] A separate, yet unreleased simulation study at the University of Utah found a sixfold increase in distraction-related crashes when texting.

[12] A survey of more than 90 teens from more than 26 high schools throughout the United States conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in 2006 showed that 46% of students consider texting to be either "very" or "extremely" distracting.

A July 2010 Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll found 25% of New Jersey voters admitted to sending a text while driving, which was an increase from 15% in 2008.

[18] The study, carried out at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan, used two drivers in real cars and measured reaction times to the onset of light on the windshield.

[20] In March 2012, the UK's Institute of Advanced Motorists published a study which claimed that using social media puts a driver at greater risk than driving under the influence.

[21] In 2013, based on the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control in the US, nearly half of all male and female respondents aged 16 to 19 reported they texted while driving.

[23] In 2010, texting while driving among young drivers was named a disease burden and ranked 8th overall in the global years of life lost (YLL).

The premature mortality of young drivers who crash as a result of distracted driving has a greater effect on YLL than most diseases do.

Those who were drinking and driving at the limit of 80 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, reaction times slowed by 13% and 21% for those under the influence of cannabis.

[27] In November 2014, Sawyer et al., from the University of Central Florida and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, published the results of comparative study in a driving simulator.

In Austin, Texas, where a hands-free-driving ordinance prohibiting the use of electronic hand-held devices while operating a vehicle or bicycle has been in place since 2015, 41% of teens reported that they never witnessed their parents or guardians driving distracted.

[31] On July 27, 2009, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) released preliminary findings of their study of driver distraction in commercial vehicles.

The use of mobile devices is linked to a significant increase in distracted driving, resulting in injury and even loss of life.

The only exceptions are emergency calls to 999 or 112, making a contactless payment while stationary, for instance at a drive-through or toll booth, or using the device to remotely park your vehicle.

[52] On October 1, 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced President Barack Obama's signing of an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles, among other activities.

[53] According to Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, "This order sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable.

As a part of a larger move to combat distracted driving, the DOT and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the public information website distraction.gov.

[55] On January 26, 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a federal ban on texting while driving by truckers and bus drivers.

Second offence: Class B misdemeanor Automatic Class B misdemeanor if the person inflicted serious bodily injury upon another as a proximate result of using a handheld wireless communication device for text messaging or electronic mail communication while operating a moving motor vehicle Handheld electronic devices are banned for all drivers Second offense (within two years of first): $250 fine + surcharge + 15% = $329, 5 points on license.

Second offense: $200–$800 fine In 2009, it was reported that some companies, including iZUP, ZoomSafer, Aegis Mobility, and cellcontrol by obdEdge employ systems that place restrictions on cell phone usage based on the phone's GPS signal, data from the car itself or from nearby cellphone towers.

The recommended approach for this app is for parents to install the app on their children's Android mobile phone to silently monitor texting, to send alerts when potential texting while driving situations occur, and to counsel phone holders (in this case, teenage drivers) after the fact.

[165] Law Enforcement: Over the past few months, various state police forces in Australia have started trial use of cameras that have the ability to pick up errant drivers from more than 500 metres away.