A "Text"book Accident

Even though the link between drunken driving and probability of causing an accident has been well established, there is no dearth of these alcohol-related accidents. By the same token, it does not take a great scientific mind to realize that texting on a mobile device while driving is highly dangerous. However, money has to be spent to study this further to establish what simple observations can tell us. NYT reports, in an interesting piece titled "In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin" that "The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. The new study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over 18 months, found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which compiled the research and plans to release its findings on Tuesday, also measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive texts. In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field..."

However, stupidity reigns supreme, as illustrated by the person quoted at the end of the above story. "...About half of drivers 16 to 24 said they had texted while driving, compared with 22 percent of drivers 35 to 44. “It’s convenient,” said Robert Smith, 22, a recent college graduate in Windham, Me. He says he regularly texts and drives even though he recognizes that it is a serious risk. He would rather text, he said, than take time on a phone call.“I put the phone on top of the steering wheel and text with both thumbs,” he said, adding that he often has exchanges of 10 messages or more. Sometimes, “I’ll look up and realize there’s a car sitting there and swerve around it.”Mr. Smith, who was not part of the AAA survey, said he was surprised by the findings in the new research about texting. “I’m pretty sure that someday it’s going to come back to bite me,” he said of his behavior."