The statistics of accidents caused by distracted driving, such as texting while driving, are alarming. A 2009 study found that individuals who text while driving spend 400% less time looking at the road compared to non-texting drivers. Other research has shown that the risk of crashing while text messaging while driving is more than double that of talking on the phone while driving.
More than 16,000 lives were lost between 2001 and 2007 in accidents caused by drivers who were engaging in text messaging while behind the wheel.
Last year, Oprah Winfrey initiated the “No Phone Zone” challenge, sharing the stories of lives affected by distracted driving accidents, asking individuals and celebrities to sign the “No Phone Zone” pledge, committing to not use their phones while driving.
Recently in Dallas, digital billboards along Central Expressway and other freeways started displaying this simple message: “You talk, you text, you crash. Drive now, talk or text later.”
President Obama even signed an Executive Order banning federal employees from text messaging while driving government vehicles, or privately owned vehicles while on government business.
Despite the number of public service messages and laws regarding the dangers of text messaging while driving, young people and experienced drivers alike continue to engage in this behavior, risking not only their own lives, but the lives of others.
The Last Text, a ten-minute documentary released by AT&T as part of its “It Can Wait” campaign shares the stores of real people whose lives have been tragically affected by texting and driving. Seeing the faces of individuals whose lives have been lost, and the text messages they were reading or typing when they crashed may be more powerful than any number of statistics.
Watch the documentary below.
Don’t text while driving, the live you save may be your own.
For more information about the dangers of distracted driving, read this recent article.
If you have been seriously injured or lost a family member in an accident caused by distracted driving, contact The Law Offices of Tim O’Hare to speak with a Dallas personal injury attorney.
