Texting accident while driving

The dangers already seem well established, with little effect on driving habits. Researchers, automakers, safety advocates and lawmakers are trying to find ways to prevent distracted driving from causing widespread deaths and injuries.

Nationally, 58 percent of teenagers said they use text messaging while driving. As of September 1st in Texas, new state laws prohibit drivers under 18 from using a cellphone to talk or text while driving anywhere, and bar all Texas drivers from using cellphones in a school zone.

Researchers have found that when drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws making texting while driving illegal, and seven states and the district have banned driving while talking on a handheld cellphone.

Texting has increasingly become the way to communicate for many people, and the urge to quickly read and respond even while driving can be tempting.

Dialing a cellphone and using or reaching for an electronic device increased risk of collision about six times in cars and trucks.

The government and safety groups are looking for ways to address the distractions and to set the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving.. With more drivers talking or texting on cell phones while behind the wheel, the Obama administration is taking its first hard look at highway hazards with an eye toward potential new restrictions on using mobile devices while driving.

AT&T unveiled several initiatives to dissuade people from texting behind the wheel, including expressly prohibiting its employees from texting while driving, putting warning messages on the peel-off plastic covers on new phones and producing public service announcements.
A dramatized educational video that shows the gruesome results of a car accident caused by a distracted, texting teen driver has been viewed millions of times on YouTube.