One teen recently learned just how dangerous texting while driving can actually be. While Kamy Mayott was driving ,she managed to crash a golf court through an obstacle course while texting.
She somehow found a way to miss the row of orange cones that kept her outside of the obstacle course.
“It definitely taught me to be careful and not to text while driving because I’m going to kill somebody,” Mayott said.
Half of the United States has banned texting while driving. This comes as no surprise, as the dangers of texting and driving have been well documented for a number of years now.
The number of accidents and fatalities that are caused by texting has seen a dramatic rise since the service was first introduced to the public.
Drivers who are using cell phones while they drive are four times more likely to crash. A recent NSC estimate states that nearly 28 percent of crashes (over one million per year) are caused by either talking or texting while driving.
People shouldn’t be messing with cell phones when they’re trying to drive,” said Drew Bloom, captain of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicle enforcement.
“We’re finding a 400 percent average increase in driving errors. … So when you have a 400 percent increase in amount of mistakes you’re making and your reaction time slows dramatically, the proof is in data.”
The teens are asked to drive the course the first time without texting, and the second time texting. Authorities say that the differences are staggering, and that teens are able to learn a lesson that they hope they will remember for the rest of their lives.
“If we can reach one teen out of five teens who won’t text and drive then they could possibly save their life in the future,” said Sgt. Jeff Gordon, public information office for the Highway Patrol.
Category: Health
