It may come as a surprise to locals, but distracted driving is now the biggest danger to drivers on the road today. That means that North Carolina drivers now have more to fear from texting and driving than drunk drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Distracted driving is worse than drunk driving?
Yes. Distracted driving, which is primarily texting and driving, has now surpassed drunk driving as the most dangerous behavior on the road of the United States today. As an example of how this can be true, the NHTSA explains that driving for five seconds while texting is the same as driving while blindfolded the entire length of a football field.
How is the impairment that bad?
Texting and driving is a full body impairment. It impairs you manually, visually and cognitively. It takes your eyes of the road and places your vision onto your phone’s screen. It places your hand off the wheel and onto the screen, and then, it takes your mind off driving and onto the phone.
According to AAA, it takes a full 27 seconds to fully recover from just looking down at your phone, even at a stop light or stop sign. This is why AAA compares texting and driving to drinking and driving to drinking four beers in an hour.
The deaths
Between 2016 and 2020, there were a truly staggering number of deaths attributable to texting and driving: 2,165. This means that in that 4-year period, 1 or 2 people died every single day as a direct result of texting and driving and tens of thousands are maimed, including here in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The bottom line
We live in one the most unique areas in the country here in Charlotte. We are truly blessed. However, we are not unscathed by the recklessness and negligence of others, and unfortunately, texting and driving is all too common even here. And, if you find yourself in a car crash as a result, remember, you can always fight back.