The risks associated with texting and driving are fairly self-explanatory; any time you remove your eyes from the road to read or send a text message, you put yourself, the occupants of your car and other cars on the road to St. George at risk for an auto accident. On average, 13 percent of drivers between the age of 18 and 20 get into an auto accident while texting and driving — and 34 percent admit they frequently text while driving.
The moral of the story seems obvious: Don’t text and drive. This is difficult for people who rely on their mobile device for communication — so what’s the solution? Although there might not be a straightforward answer to this dilemma, here’s what any lawyer will tell you is definitely not the solution.
Why Voice-to-Text Is Dangerous
Recent research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that people who used voice-to-text features while driving experience tunnel vision and what they named “inattention blindness.” Inattention blindness occurs when drivers literally do not see what’s directly in front of them, because they’re 100 percent cognitively distracted.
We get it — it’s tempting to stay in communication with your significant other via voice-to-text as you’re driving back from a trip through St. George, Utah or touch base with your lawyer concerning a recent legal issue. But voice-to-text isn’t a solution to texting and driving, and can be just as dangerous.
What About Talking — Instead of Texting?
So you’ve stopped texting and driving — great. Instead, you simply pick up the phone and call someone instead of sending him a brief text. This is good, right? We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but no. Talking on the phone instead of texting can also cause an auto accident. We know that you’re bored as you drive through the deserts of St. George or anxious as you await a call from your lawyer. We know it sounds old-fashioned, but if you need to talk/text/connect, pull over. Don’t replace one distraction for another — no matter how experienced a driver you are.