Drunk Drivers Not the Only Ones
People are very quick to point fingers at drunk drivers, and even drugged drivers, as being some of the most dangerous obstacles to safety that we are likely to face on the roads today. But as it turns out, there are a number of other, even more dangerous drivers out there, and they are completely sober!
Current statistics show that drivers who text while driving are 23% more likely to end up in a collision that drivers who don’t text on the road. In fact, certain statistics make drunk driving look less dangerous than texting while driving! Not possible you say? Check it out…
A test conducted by Car and Driver that compared instances of drunk driving to instances of texting while driving, with identical conditions, found that drunk drivers actually have better reaction times that drivers who are texting a friend or reading their email. Scared? You should be!
Michigan outlawed “texting and driving” some time ago, although there is no statewide law prohibiting the use of cell phones for making or receiving calls while driving. Michigan has allowed each locality to create and enforce their own cell phone laws. For example, in Detroit it is illegal to use a cell phone for texting or calling while driving, but in Lansing it is only illegal to text while driving.
According to Michigan’s texting laws, drivers may not “read, manually type, or send a text message on a wireless 2-way communication device that is located in the person’s hand or in the person’s lap, including a wireless telephone used in cellular telephone service or personal communication service, while operating a motor vehicle that is moving on a highway or street in this state.”
There are obviously some exceptions to that rule, but they are few and far between. The exceptions were designed to allow people to deal with emergencies, like reporting a traffic accident or a crime in progress.
Don’t misinterpret this as our way of saying that drunk driving “isn’t all that bad” or that drinking and driving “isn’t an awful, possibly deadly, choice” because it is. We simply want to take this opportunity to point out to our readers that most of us are guilty of doing something that makes us even more dangerous to ourselves and those around us than the average drunk driver.
We all know how dangerous, and illegal, drunk driving can be. It costs you plenty in time, money, reputation, and attorney fees. So please stay safe and make smart choices when you are on the road – both with your alcohol consumption AND with your cell phone use.
