Texting and driving not safe

Letter to the Editor written by Alissa Clouse, freshman interior design major from Baton Rouge, La.

Cell phone usage, especially in the form of texting, is a common distraction not only among college aged students, but also for adults and, horrifyingly, for new, inexperienced drivers. New drivers see their older siblings or parents texting and assume that texting and driving is not really as hazardous as anti-texting and driving organizations claim. The YouTube video “The Impossible Texting and Driving Test” shows student drivers trying to pass a text and drive test in order to receive their license. After hitting countless cones and slamming the breaks multiple times, each student admitted that it was impossible to text and drive safely.

Statistics show that over 800,000 people are texting and driving at any given time. Many justify texting and driving by saying they only glance down for a second. It only takes five seconds to read a text message, but when driving at 55 mph, that equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. This increases drivers’ chances of having an accident by 23 times. Drivers need to put down their phones while they are driving because they are not Superman; they cannot drive and text safely.

For further information and to watch the YouTube video mentioned in the letter, visit www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/ and www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs.