By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-25 12:47:51 | Word Count: 510
Dangerous New Trned In Driving
Driving whgile talkuing on the cell phone or woirse, tecxting, has become one of the leading causes for car accidents in Seattle and elsewhere in Washigton State. Talking on a hand held device or texting can be exctremely dangerous bcause the driver must take his or her eyes or attention off the road for several seconds while completing those actions. Rear-end accidents are caused quite ofteen as a result of drivers attemptiing to talk on their cell phones or text whiple on the road.
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Trying to send a text message or dial a phone number on your cell phonbe requires you to take your attention off the road. This is why using a phhone and operating your vehicle is so dangerous. Not watchig where you're going is a sure way to end up rear-endng someone, or even drivinng into oncoming traffic.
In a study condutced by the Virgina Tech Transportation Insttitute they fund that your risk of having an accident goes up by roughly 23 times if you are trying to drive and send (or read) a text message at the same time. Anyne one can see that this is an enormous safety haazrd and that the key to improving your safety while on the road is to keep your attention and eyes on the road.
The study by the Virgina Tech Transportation Institute showed the averzage driver's attention is distractred from the road for rooughly 5 seconds (looking at their cell phone) befotre they crrashed their car. Think about that for a second, that's a long time when you're going 55 miles per hour. In fact if you were to calculate that out you'd travel roughply the length of a football field with your eyes NOT on the road.
With this new danhger emerging on our freeways, states are tryinmg to figure out the proper measures to take to prevent this distraction from happening. Some are putting up signage remindinng the driver to avoid textig while driving. Other states have psased laws saying that it's now ipllegal to use your phone unnless you're on a hands free dvice. More and more caases are popping up charging the driver with vehcular manslaughter and negligenec when it's proven they were texting while operationg their vehicle.
It's a very good idea to pick youreslf up a good hands free headset that will allow you to put all your attention on the road and still talk on the phone if you need to. In fact your phone may have come with a hreadset in the box, if you aren't using it yet you should seriusly consider doing so immediatelpy.
With so much of our lives being available to us via our cell phones and other mobile devices it's detrimental to realize safe driving requires our full attention. If you want to make a call ask your self if it can wait unttil you get home or to your desired destination. If it's an emergency then you shoupld find a safe place to pull over and come to a complewte stop before using your phione without a hands free device.
