Reuters summarizes a texting and driving study by the Texas Transportation Institute:
Drivers were asked to stop when they saw a flashing yellow light, and their reaction times were recorded…
The typical time it took a driver who was not texting to respond to the flashing light was one to two seconds. But when the driver was texting, the reaction time extended to three to four seconds…
In other words, texting costs 2 more seconds of attention. Doesn’t seem like much, does it?
2 seconds in distance
A lot can be in 2 seconds. Much more than thin air.
At just 35 mph, a car travels more than 100 feet every 2 seconds. At higher speeds, 2 seconds are worth even more in distance. You can actually fit a lot into 2 seconds:
| Miles per hour | Feet | Cars | Bicycles | Caskets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 103 | 7 | 18 | 15 |
| 55 | 161 | 11 | 28 | 23 |
| 70 | 205 | 14 | 36 | 29 |
2 seconds in consequence
A lot can end in 2 seconds. You could:
- Paralyze a student athlete from the neck down
- Orphan a 5-year-old girl
- Mentally disable a straight-A ninth-grader
- Widow a newlywed
- Extinguish a family of four
Or you might get lucky. You could die. That way, you won’t have to endure a lifetime of indescribable guilt caused by the 2 seconds you traded to tap out a few pieces of text.
Put the goddamned phone down while you’re driving.
(via TBR)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent. No-brainer. Just do it.
Greg
Well said. I’d like to slap a copy of this post on the windshield of every dickweed I see texting while driving. Or reading the newspaper for that matter (I actually saw a guy behind me doing this).
Nicely stated!
First – I happen to personally agree with you. However, I have a little difficulty with the absoluteness and the hostility that people place on texting where they forgive it in other more “old school” distractions. Two seconds can also be found:
– Looking down to change the A/C
– Putting a CD into the radio correctly
– Looking at your passenger during a conversation (I hate that one)
– Looking down at the cupholder to pick up your coffee
And so on, ad infinitum. Driving is potentially lethal. We take tons of risks all the time. This is a big part of why we have 40-50 thousand fatalities every year from driving in the US alone. Texting is dangerous, yes, but so are many other actions.
Great post!
Richard, you are right but I think you need some better examples. I also hate eye-contact drivers chatting on the road, however, I can find my A/C or cupholder without looking and the use of both is so ingrained I don’t have to even give it a second thought unless it’s a new car.
Now, searching for the right CD, flipping through your device for the song you want, letting kids jump around like jumping beans (should be seatbelted!), dogs in your lap (see that a lot here), rubbernecking at the near-naked sunbather (a lot of that here in Key West too) – all these things definitely fit into your sentiment. We do take too much for granted while driving and it’s dangerous to everyone around.
I really wish the police would put their phones down…