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Researchers: Texting & Driving Can Be More Dangerous Than Drinking & Driving Save Email Print
Posted: 10:28 PM Sep 28, 2008
 Last Updated: 10:52 PM Sep 28, 2008
 Reporter: Ashlea Sigman
Email Address: Sigman@kbtx.com
43 comments
A | A | A

Everywhere you look, drivers are on the phone talking and texting.

"I have texted while driving," said Brian Ambrose, a Texas A&M junior. "Yeah I've done it before, is that a bad thing?"

"They're weaving in their lane and going off the side of the road and when you pass if you look over you see that they're texting," said Sergeant Janice Kemp of the College Station Police Department.

Its not drunk driving, but it can look the same. According to a study by Britain's Transport Research Laboratory, the effects of texting while driving can be even worse.

Researchers found that reaction time fell 35% when drivers sent or read a text message. That's more than the 12% drop for drivers who drank at the legal limit, and the 21% drop for drivers under the influence of marijuana.

Researchers also say typing drivers are more prone to drift out of their lane, and that their ability to control the steering wheel worsens. They're conclusions that aren't news to some A&M students.

"We actually have a friend who totalled her car because she was on facebook," said Texas A&M sophomore Brittany Crawford. "Whe has an iPhone and she totaled her car while she was on facebook."

While horror stories like that are few and far between, officers warn texting behind the wheel could have serious consequences for anyone, at any time.

"That vehicle is essentially a lethal weapon," said Kemp. "In a split second something could happen."
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Posted by: Aggie Location: B/CS on Oct 3, 2008 at 02:55 PM
To maggie: Since I'm a fulltime employee my job requires that I be in constant communication with the office, even when I'm not working so that they can ask me questions/clarify things. It's so important that my employer actually issues most of my coworkers cell phones... Let's face it, cell phones aren't going away. American's are multitasking and conducting business while commuting more than ever so the best thing we can do is require hands free devices, like I said before, and ticket people texting or even holding the phone like California does. They're not going to ban all cell phone use just like they're not going to ban having rowdy kids in a car, smoking, eating, changing the radio, checking your makeup, or drinking a coke. I believe the second best thing we could do is educate. Just like we all sat in our high school auditoriums and saw slide shows of bloodied bodies on pavement due to drinking and driving, we should be showing the youth accidents caused by texting and driving.
Posted by: Domaco34 Location: bcs on Oct 3, 2008 at 11:22 AM
To anonymous 9:45.....Likes what? Do tell child!
Posted by: Why the research? Location: Duh on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:49 AM
we don't need research to know that this is dangerous. common sense will tell you that when driving, you need to keep your eyes on the road, and your hands on the wheel. use the research money to help the elderly, and the sick.
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Hey Domaco34 your mom likes it!
Posted by: Domaco34 Location: bcs on Oct 2, 2008 at 12:28 PM
To anonymous at 11:34, WHAT??? Really? SO only females text, is that what you are saying. That has to be one of the most stupid, sexist comments that could have been made."I have texted while driving," said Brian Ambrose, a Texas A&M junior...... Nice girls name. So not only are you an idiot, you can't read either!! Good to know you won't be texting on our roads!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 2, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Notice how they were all girls.
Posted by: John (To Cynthia) Location: College Station on Oct 2, 2008 at 11:24 AM
"WHERE in MY BLOG did I ever say that I do or do not text while driving?!" You didn't; you just said that IF you DID, NOBODY else (eg the Government) has any business telling you not to, because you'd have to "pay the consequences" if anything went wrong as a result of doing so. I merely pointed out that if the consequences are severe, even you have insurance, it's ALL the companies customers who will be paying through higher rates, and if you don't, nobody will because YOU aren't ABLE to give somebody else's family their loved ones back... and there are a LOT of folks out there on the road who have the attitude that "I don't NEED insurance, because nothing is going to happen to me and even if it does, I'm too poor to pay." And I was just asking if you were one of them, or do you have a different opinion about required insurance than required no texting laws? Also note that the No Texting Laws will apply only on public roads; you can do it all you want at a NASCAR track...
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 2, 2008 at 07:21 AM
So now we know; the engineer in LA sent a text 22 seconds before he blew through the stop signal and rammed the freight...Maybe TxDoT needs a new Public Service message: "You text, you drive, you DIE"...
Posted by: Cynthia Location: Bryan on Oct 1, 2008 at 07:31 PM
To the three cowards who refused to post your names: First off, where in MY blog did I say I text and drive? People need to OPEN their eyes and see that doing ANYTHING can distract you from driving, not JUST texting or talking on a phone. Second, when I post blogs I do post my name. And, yes, I did post a blog on the Calvert accident...something to the effect of praying for the families and the public workers that worked the wreck. Third, yes, I do wear my seatbelt. Not because the government tells me to, but because I've seen the consequences of NOT wearing one! Fourth, I DO PAY for insurance, so the whole "turnip" thing you can just eat those words! Again, WHERE in MY BLOG did I ever say that I do or do not text while driving?! Read EVERYTHING before you make a half-baked comment! I do take responsibility for my actions, no matter what. And if anyone of you three commenters think you can eat, smoke, or change cds while driving and it's not distracting...then you're wrong!
Posted by: The Big L Location: somewhere else on Oct 1, 2008 at 12:11 PM
JEEZ, everybody chill....have a drink.
Posted by: Sweet irony Location: B/CS on Oct 1, 2008 at 11:25 AM
So, how dangerous is it to do a broadcast while driving? I like how the anchor looked straight in the camera and warned of the dangers of texting and driving....while driving.
Posted by: HEY CYNTHIA on Oct 1, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Do you wear your seatbelt? I'll bet you do. That is a law, so if you obey it, like all good citizens should, then do you still think the government should not tell you what to do? Everything we do is cantered around some law whether legal or moral. You cannot pick and choose only to complain about the ones with which you don't agree. I'll even bet you were on the blog for the Calvert family who was killed saying how this whole tragedy could have been prevented if that evil grandmother had just buckled up those sweet little babies. What about if the grandmother had been texting? What would you think then?
Posted by: to CYNTHIA on Oct 1, 2008 at 09:20 AM
"If I have a wreck and hurt someone, including myself, then I need to pay the consequences, period! The government should not be responsible for me...or you...that is unless you're a Democrat!" Well, then, by golly, I want to be a DEMOCRAT!!! How stupid are you? I would FAR rather no one get hurt in the first place than wait for someone to get hurt and have them pay the consequences. I have news for you: if you are distracted while driving and hit my car possibly killing me and my baby, I will not give a rat's @#& that you will 'pay the consequences'. That will be of no comfort to me, my child, my husband or the rest of my family and friends. And if it happened to someone else, you would be on the blog, outraged because no one prevented this tragedy, "how could we let something so senseless happen", "I hope the perpetrator rots in jail and then in hell", "this was preventable", "rest in peace angels". CYNTHIA, you are a hypocrite and you know it.
Posted by: To Cynthia on Oct 1, 2008 at 06:46 AM
"If I have a wreck and hurt someone, including myself, then I need to pay the consequences, period!" And if you can't or WON'T pay the consequences (say, if you're DEAD along with the 25 commuters you killed on that train you were driving in California, or just too broke to own anything worth sueing you for) who pays then? All the other insurance company clients (including most specificly, ME), that's who... Of course, you're probably going to claim that the Government doesn't have any business demanding insurance either, because if something goes wrong, you are already PLANNING to just say "I'm too broke to pay! You can't get blood from a turnip." and walk away from the deaths and destruction your stupidity causes. I agree that they shouldn't bail you out when the consequences are only on YOU, but the Government not only should, but MUST be responsible for preventing you from hurting innocents, especially on the roads that they built and maintain.
Posted by: Cynthia Location: Bryan on Sep 30, 2008 at 09:37 PM
Outlaw eating while driving, changing cd's, smoking, putting on makeup, just about anything and everything. If a person cannot get it through their head that while behind the wheel of a vehicle they are in control of a deadly weapon then maybe they don't need a driver's license! Honestly, anything can distract a driver, so why stop at cell phones? I'm a responsible adult, I don't need the government telling me what I can and cannot do in my vehicle. If I have a wreck and hurt someone, including myself, then I need to pay the consequences, period! The government should not be responsible for me...or you...that is unless you're a Democrat!
Posted by: marti Location: c.s. on Sep 30, 2008 at 05:21 PM
No. I think Texas should be one of those "smart" states that passes the law for it to be illegal to use hands on a phone while driving.
Posted by: Sn Location: College Station on Sep 30, 2008 at 05:04 PM
Responding to jb: You think you are a good texter while driving? I hate to burst your bubble but texting while driving is distracted, dangerous driving, you have to take your eyes away from the road , even if just for a second, and thats all it takes to hit a person ( for example a child that walked in the street) an animal, or another car! Texting on cell phones while driving should be outlawed! So should holding a cell phone and talking while driving...No one is a good texter while driving...PERIOD!
Posted by: concerned driver Location: bryan on Sep 30, 2008 at 04:57 PM
PEOPLE PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE INNOCENT LIVES THAT CAN BE LOST DUE TO PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING. HOW WOULD ANY OF US FEEL IF WE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT CAUSE WE WERE YAKKING ON THE PHONE? WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED WHEN UNDER THE WHEEL. ITS' BETTER NOT TO DO SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO REGRET THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. AND SO MANY OF THE CALLS WE GET ARE JUST TRIVIAL STUFF THAT CAN WAIT.DRIVING IS A GREAT RESPONSIBILTY. I KNEW OF AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE GIRL WAS LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR PUTTING ON MAKEUP, AND RAN HEADON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE,KILLING HERSELF. ALL OVER SOME DANG MASCARA. WAS IT REALLY WORTH IT? NO TEXT MESSAGE,OR PHONE CALL IS WORTH SOMEONES' LIFE.
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 30, 2008 at 09:28 AM
I thought it WAS against the law in Texas to talk on the phone while driving! Wow, I'm out of touch!! BTW, Frank, I totally agree with your post. It's the idiots who are making us suffer all these laws.
Posted by: jb on Sep 30, 2008 at 08:14 AM
let me add that to my resume, "I am a good texter"!
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 29, 2008 at 08:16 PM
Not if you're a good texter!
Posted by: A concerned Mom Location: Bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 03:51 PM
I agree totally with most of the comments, 1st if you HAVE to communicate while driving why not just call someone instead of 15 short text messages and if you have to use your phone get a hands free device. I worry about the safety of my small child while driving not bc of my ability to drive but those around me. People should remember that there are consequenses when you turn your attention from where it should be THE ROAD!!
Posted by: frank Location: bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 03:29 PM
How bout banning driving and changing the radio? we should also ban driving with kids in the car, because they are a distraction also. We should have the government make laws that govern everything we do. It might be a good idea to have a law that requires your bed be made every morning. The fact of the matter is, if you’re not smart enough to know not to text or talk when you’re driving, you shouldn’t have a license in the first place.
Posted by: Maggie Location: Bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 02:05 PM
I'm not sure what being a student AND having a job has to do with cell phone use, but when I was in college (and worked fulltime) I had no trouble keeping in touch with people - without having a cell phone at all. It can be done, and quite easily. I'm all for a statewide ban on use of cell phone while driving.
Posted by: BJ Location: Bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 02:04 PM
This is one subject that has me fired up and has for a long time. Not just texting, but using the cell phone as a source of entertainment when you are supposed to be concentrating on driving and those around you. Other states have laws in place for this.....about time TEXAS gets into the act. Don't wait for an accident to happen & then fine them......it could be one phone call too late for someone!!! Most usually when you are in a driving situation and someone is not up to driving correctly, you get past them and they are sure enough, on their cell phone laughing away. A call to let a family member know what has delayed you is one thing, but finish the converstation at home. These people show no respect for others around them!
Posted by: Kat Location: CST on Sep 29, 2008 at 01:29 PM
I am guilty of texting while driving but try my hardest to refrain from it now since I ran off the road a couple times..thank God it was a country road..anyways I don't think that cell phones should be outlawed while driving but maybe the phone companies can consider having talk to text programs on their new phones. I know some phones do..don't know which ones..but I think that would greatly reduce the risk.
Posted by: DJ Location: College Station on Sep 29, 2008 at 12:48 PM
The use of cell phones while driving was banned in New York state, and the incidents of accidents decreased. It doesn't take a scientific study to figure this one out.
Posted by: CK Location: College Station on Sep 29, 2008 at 12:18 PM
I sincerely agree with the comment that a clause should be put in the insurance policy that they do not pay if person who caused accident was using a cell phone in any way. It should be against the law to use one (talk or text) in a moving vehicle. And where did the law come from that the news quoted that states that a bus driver cannot use one if there is a passenger under 17 on the bus - what about the rest of the passengers over 17. They don't want a distracted driver either! What a stupid law-who on earth came up with that???!!!!! If you want to use your phone, pull over and stop!!
Posted by: EJ Location: BRYAN on Sep 29, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I disagree. On WJB each morning there are women driving with their knees while using both hands to put on their makeup! Some are so experienced that they can make a left turn onto Villa Maria and not use their hands.
Posted by: Barbara Location: Bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I don't even answer my phone while driving. I think that texting and driving or talking on the phone is being disrespectful to other drivers. If you have to answer, inform the caller that you are driving and will call them back later.
Posted by: Just yesterday... on Sep 29, 2008 at 10:37 AM
...on the bypass, about 5 pm, a college-aged girl in a little white Honda doing 75 mph, left lane, both hands on the phone, looking down at it, driving with her knee, paying no attention to driving! Now WHEN (when, not if) she crashes (hopefully not killing an innocent bystander) her family and friends will be boo-hooing about the injustice of the world and the cruelty of God for taking their sweet angel so soon from her glorious life. There will be no mention of her stupidity and carelessness. And the death will NEVER be blamed on her inattentiveness, it will be 'the will of God'.
Posted by: Aggie Location: B/CS on Sep 29, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Who paid for this 'research'. Drunk drivers still have their eyes on the road. To text you need to look at your phone which means you take your eyes off the road. And to those saying all phone use is a car should be illegal; you're ridiculous. As a student with a job I am constantly calling work and family to keep up with things. It would be impossible to outlaw ALL phone use in vehicles. Requiring hands free devices is a much better solution which I would support. And no, I don't text while driving.
Posted by: Dented Location: All over on Sep 29, 2008 at 10:02 AM
VW, you would think, wouldn't you? You'd think they'd be able to read a "stop" sign too, but maybe we should just text it to them when they approach?
Posted by: jb Location: cs on Sep 29, 2008 at 09:49 AM
DWT should be the same punishment as DUI
Posted by: Connie Location: Iola on Sep 29, 2008 at 09:41 AM
I don't even text at all. What a waste of time and money.
Posted by: a Location: cs on Sep 29, 2008 at 08:33 AM
Any cell use (talking/texting) while driving should be against the law in every state. Major distraction for all ages.
Posted by: Joe Location: Madison county on Sep 29, 2008 at 08:28 AM
Put all of the texters who drive on a race track and forget about them. That way they will only kill each other!
Posted by: Buck Location: College Station on Sep 29, 2008 at 08:05 AM
I am amazed that insurance companies have not put in a provision in car insurance that states that if an accident is caused by using a cell phone or texting while operating a motor vehicle that the insurance company will not pay for or limit the amount due to texting cell phone use. Another words the insurance company will pay the accident victim but limit the $ to the cell phone/texter car/expenses who caused the accident. That would put an end to cell phone/texting pretty quickly. No car, no accident! And a higher insurance rates once they get another car.
Posted by: B.B Location: BRYAN on Sep 29, 2008 at 07:36 AM
I WISH THERE WERE A LAW AGAINST CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD SO MANY STUPID PEOPLE PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME OR RUNNING RED LIGHTS CHANGING LANES THEY ARE NOT EVEN LOOKING AROUND THEY ARE LAUGHING AND TALKING ON THE PHONE. THEY SHOULD BE FINED ABOUT 1000 EVERYTIME THEY ARE CAUGHT
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 29, 2008 at 07:19 AM
Duh. Duh. Duh. Facebooking while driving? And this person is in college? Wow.
Posted by: DJ Location: Bryan on Sep 29, 2008 at 06:31 AM
Texting while driving should be outlawed in Texas too.
Posted by: VW Location: B/CS on Sep 29, 2008 at 06:06 AM
THANK YOU!! It's about time someone started protesting against texting while driving! "Is that a bad thing?" Oh PLEASE! You can't be that dumb if you got into A&M!
Posted by: John Location: College Station on Sep 29, 2008 at 05:22 AM
No mention of the engineer of the California Metro Train?
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