Five Websites To Share With Family And Friends Who Text And Drive

Don’t Text and Drive

You wouldn’t smack yourself in the face with a hammer, would you? Of course not. But surprisingly, an alarming number of drivers respond to their texts while driving – which in our book, is about same as hammering your own face. Is that extreme? We don’t think so. And we have the stats to back it up.

For example, according to information from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driving while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. And under Michigan’s anti-texting law (sec. 257.602.b) a driver caught reading, typing or sending a text message “on a wireless 2-way communication device that is located in the person’s hand or in the person’s lap…” can be fined upwards of $200 per offense. Not to mention that an officer can pull you over and issue a citation just for seeing you texting.

COMMON SENSE VS. ANSWERING A TEXT

For our team of Michigan car accident lawyers, it’s a no-brainer that texting while driving is bad business. However, despite common sense, statistics, rising accident rates and legal intervention, texting while driving still happens all too frequently on Michigan roadways. Don’t believe it? Next time you are at a stoplight, just look around at the other drivers around you. Or the next time you are the passenger, count the drivers you see with a smartphone in their hand, texting away.

And when you see statistics like 1.3 million collisions involved cell phones in 2011 or that according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, texting while driving kills 11 teens each day, clearly this is not something we want to ignore. The hammer illustration doesn’t seem quite so extreme now, does it?

WEBSITES AND FACTS

If you want to encourage your friends and family to think twice before glancing at that screen while behind the wheel – or maybe you need a reminder yourself – then take a look at these five websites. They might just be enough to convince your eyes to stay on the road.

1. http://www.distraction.gov/ – This site covers nearly every way a person can be distracted while driving (from reading a map, changing the radio station or even personal hygiene!) yet, at the top of the list are texting and phone use. This site has a number of good statistics and tips. Next time you’re needing to remind yourself not to drive while distracted, check out the facts and statistics page.
2. http://www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org – Backed by a campaign to stop texting on the roads altogether, this site puts out a ton of great material including helpful tips and viral videos to broaden awareness about this serious issue. The campaign is specifically targeting young adults, so if you want to alert novice drivers to these dangers, this site’s a good place to start.
3. http://mashable.com/2014/04/15/anti-texting-and-driving-psa/ – Sometimes a point can be made without being graphic or horrific. This PSA does a does a good job of showing the potential danger with texting on the road without flames and twisted metal.
4. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/dangers-texting-while-driving – For some quick stats and good tips on how to educate young drivers on what driving should look like, this site from the FCC is a great resource. There are also a number of links and phone numbers on the site to get you deeper into the topic.
5. http://www.onlineschools.com/in-focus/driving-while-intexticated – And for those of you more graphically inclined, the cool infographic at onlineschools.com might be the best push to putting down the phone while driving. Print this out and tape it to where you keep your keys for another reminder.

MIKE MORSE LAW FIRM

At the Mike Morse Law Firm, we see the results of bad decisions behind the wheel daily. Our team of dedicated Michigan auto accident attorneys is dedicated to helping those who have been injured in crashes. If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, call us today at (855) MIKE-WINS and let our team of experienced attorneys fight for you and protect your rights.

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