Demand that Texting and Driving have same punishment as DUI

How many times have you been behind someone in traffic that was weaving all over the road and/or ran off of it and maybe you even called the police thinking they'd been drinking, only to drive past them and see them texting and driving?

I have almost been side swiped countless times - have blown my horn at some people who are texting and they were so oblivious they didn't even hear me.

My friends mother was hit by someone texting and driving and is now disabled for life. The person who hit her also had state minimum insurance so he barely covered the damage to the cars. NONE of her medical bills were covered.

My boyfriend and I ride his motorcycle together and have almost been run over countless times by people texting and driving.

IT'S GOT TO STOP.

Here's some very eye opening facts and statistics:

• The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
• Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
• 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.
• 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

Texting While Driving Vs. Drunk Driving: Which Is More Dangerous?
October 27, 2013 by Jacob Masters ·

For decades, drunk driving has been at the forefront of debate. Stricter laws have been passed across the nation leading to a decrease in drunk driving accidents. However, a new driving threat is quickly taking its place. That threat is texting while driving – and many say that it is actually more dangerous than drunk driving.

Comparing The Two: Texting While Driving Is Like Drinking 4 Beers

The impairments associated with drunk driving and texting while driving are similar, according to the National Highway & Transportation Administration (NHTSA) website, distraction.org. Both cause distraction and impaired driving that can result in following too closely, not being able to brake on time or weaving into oncoming traffic.

Drivers who are texting while behind the wheel have a 23% higher chance of causing a crash. That is equivalent to downing four beers and then getting behind the wheel. Here's a quick look at some statistics for both:

Drunk Driving On The Decline.

According to the NHTSA 2011 Traffic Safety Facts, laws passed by all 50 states and the District of Columbia lowering the threshold of illegal driving to .08 blood alcohol content have resulted in a decrease in drunk driving fatalities. In 2002, there were 12,405 drunk driving fatalities. That number dropped to 9,296 in 2011 – a 25% decrease.

While drunk driving fatalities have been decreasing, deadly accidents involving distracted driving are increasing.

Texting & Driving On The Rise.

Distracted driving resulted in approximately 2,600 deaths in 2002. The number of distracted driving accidents increased by 22% in 2011 and resulted in 3,331 fatalities. Texting while driving is a leading cause of distracted driving. However, the NHTSA reports that texting while driving is currently responsible for approximately 1.6 million accidents every year – about 25% of all driving accidents.

The underlying danger of texting while driving is taking your eyes off the road. According to a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) entitled The Impact of Hand-Held and Hands-Free Cell Phone Use on Driving Performance and Safety Critical Event Risk, the average texter takes their eyes off the road for 23 seconds to browse, dial and send a message — not to mention the time it takes to find the phone in the first place.

Please sign this petition so I can forward it to all the state representatives to show them how concerned their constituents are and that American demands a change. Thank you.

Statistics can be found at: https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/files/Driving-while-Texting-Six-Times-More-Dangerous-than-Driving-while-Drunk.html

Article can be found at: https://www.bisociety.org/texting-while-driving-vs-drunk-driving-which-is-more-dangerous/