Breaking down the statistics of texting and driving

North Carolina law considers texting while driving – or distracted driving on a whole – to be a traffic violation. This is for good reason, as the detrimental effects of distracted driving can be long-lasting and dangerous to everyone on the road.

The Federal Communications Commission has written extensively about the dangers of texting while driving, which is actually considered to be rising to challenge driving under the influence (DUI) as one of the most dangerous and common behaviors on the road. Handheld cellphone use continues to be popular especially among those aged 16-24, but distracted driving can actively put a driver at harm. Even just taking one’s eyes away from the road for 3 seconds on the highway is enough time for a driver to traverse a distance equal to the length of an entire football field.

The Department of Motorized Vehicles also discusses some of the statistics of distracted driving. For example, in 2014, 26 percent of all crashes involved the use of a cell phone. 1,000 people suffer from injuries every single day because of distracted driving, and 9 people are killed daily, too. Despite these consequences, 42 percent of teens surveyed in 2015 admitted to texting while driving. There are laws in many states prohibiting this, even so. Some have full bans on all handheld device uses, while others only ban novice drivers from using them. 47 states specifically ban texting while driving.

Despite being a common phenomenon, texting while driving is deadly and should be avoided at all costs. Anyone who has gotten into a crash with a distracted driver can likely move to seek compensation for their damages and losses.