Unbelievable new statistics
Texting while driving kills. New statistics prove exactly how dangerous it really is.
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AMARILLO -- Some new statistics from the Department of Public Safety are out regarding distracted driving and the numbers are nothing short of alarming.
Thousands of deaths directly attributed to texting and driving and the numbers continue to increase. Just how much? Let's take a little pop quiz and see if you know...
What percentage of accidents are cause by distracted driving?
Answer: 20 percent.
How many more times are you likely to have an accident if you're using a hand held device?
Answer: four times as likely.
How many deaths within a 6 year period are blamed on texting and driving.
We'll let Texas DPS Trooper Gabe Medrano field that one.
"Here in the U.S. in a six year period, we've had 16,000 deaths, approximately 16,000 deaths, directely attributed to texting and driving, in some manner."
Those are the kinds of numbers that groups like "Share the Road" are trying to bring under control, according to board member, Dean Downey.
"The message is clear. Stop texting and trying to drive. Pay attention to what you're doing and be aware of everything going on around you."
16 to 20 year old drivers are the most distracted drivers on the road, with more than 15 percent involved in fatal crashes while distracted...and education may be the key.
"Our goal is to stop texting and driving but also to see accidents reduced and eliminate the fatalities," says Downey.
And those numbers are backed up by Trooper Medrano.
"The biggest killer of teens in the U.S. are crahses on the roads. But, we're all guilty of distracted driving, and with a rise in cell phone usage, its becoming more evident that cell phone usage while driving is becoming a huge factor in distracted driving and traffic crashes."
The most recent stats from 2009, show that distracted drivers were involved in 448,000 accidents with more than 5,400 killed.
By the way, just to give you an idea of how much the numbers are growing...those 16,000 deaths Trooper Medrano mentioned earlier occured between the years of 2001 and 2007.
Using current figures over that same time period, those killed would equal more than 32,000, double the original number.
We want to know what you think! How can this be prevented?
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