When someone decides to send a text message while driving, one of two things usually happens. First, they may just not understand that it’s dangerous at all. Second, even if they do know it’s dangerous, they think that they can do it fast enough to eliminate that danger.
But can they? Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the average time someone spends looking down to either write or read a text is about five seconds. If that car is going 55 miles per hour while they do it, the car can drive for 100 yards — the same distance as a whole football field — before they look at the road again.
Is that really fast enough to be safe? Think about how much can change in 100 yards. A car could slow down or stop. Another vehicle could merge onto the road. The road could go around a slight bend, requiring a driver’s reaction. A semitruck could blow out a tire. A traffic control light could turn red.
All of those events could cause a car accident if the driver is not looking at the road when they happen. Would they drive blind for 100 yards at 55 mph? Probably not. But that’s what they do when they decide to text and drive.
You must share the road with all sorts of drivers, some who are far safer than others. You may never text and drive in your life, but odds are that someone around you will. If you get injured in an accident, you may need to seek out financial compensation for those injuries.