Texting while driving, an activity that repeatedly takes the drivers physical and mental attention off the road, may elevate inattentive driving to dangerous new heights.
Recently, during an interview with a Boise television news station, Boise Police Patrol Sgt. Ted Snyder compared texting while driving to illegally driving while intoxicated.
"It's comparable because of the inattention, or not being able to focus your attention completely on your driving, and that's what can lead to the traffic offenses that would cause collisions," said Sgt. Snyder.
A study last summer by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting (NY Times, July 29, 2009). The Virgina study was similar to a previous study done in Utah. The studies (and if we're honest, perhaps our own experience) shows texting while driving takes a persons eyes of the road sometimes for up to five seconds at a time, driving at highway speeds, that's a distance greater than a football field. That's why texting while driving, with it's recent surge in popularity, and especially it's prevalence among young people, may be the most dangerous of any inattentive driving behaviors.
Please, help Protect Idaho's Children. Parents, be a good example to your children and don't text while driving, pay attention to the road. All of us can urge young people to pledge not to text while driving.