Please stop texting and driving. We all know it’s dangerous to drive distracted, but did you know that 26% of all car crashes in 2014 involved someone using a cell phone? [1] According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes from distracted drivers resulted in more than 3,400 lives lost, and more than 390,000 injuries in 2015. [2] That’s roughly the entire population of Orange County, NY. [3] Imagine the equivalent of our entire county injured each year from distracted drivers. We have to stop.

Different types of distractions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 3 primary types of distractions drivers face, including: [4]

• Visual: taking your eyes off the road;
• Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and
• Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving

Sending texts or making calls can affect all of these.

Texting and driving rules

Many states have enacted rules for cell phone and mobile device usage, including here in New York. In fact, New York has prohibited “all drivers from using portable electronic devices.” [5] There are some nuances and exceptions to this rule, which are worth knowing.

Here’s a link to the information you should know from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Commission in New York State: NEW YORK STATE’S MOBILE PHONE and PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE LAWS.

Resources

1. http://www.dmv.org/distracted-driving/texting-and-driving.php
2. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving
3. https://www.google.com/search?q=population+orange+county+ny&ie=&oe
4. https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html  
5. http://www.safeny.ny.gov/phon-ndx.htm