STOP Texting and Driving

March 28, 2016

STOP Texting and Driving! Texting + Driving = NEVER

Or as the new Zanes Law campaign hitting the roads puts it: TEXTS CAUSE WREX.

Literally.

And we’ve all seen them.

Those horrifying videos about the life ending consequence of texting while driving…

And yet…

We see people continue to do it everyday….

Perhaps YOU are guilty of it.

You just need to send that one text.

That one smiley face.

That one reminder.

That one LOL.

We here at Zanes are here to remind you that, that ONE text can lead to catastrophic consequences…

Like an accident…or worse…

Death.

Here are some hard stats for you to mull over:

Texting While Driving Causes:

1,600,000 accidents per year (Source: National Safety Council)

330,000 injuries per year (Source: Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study)

11 teen deaths EVERY DAY (Source: Ins. Institute for Hwy Safety Fatality Facts)

Nearly 25% of ALL car accidents (Source: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com)

Texting While Driving Is:

About 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated (Source: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com)

The same as driving after 4 beers (Source: National Hwy Transportation Safety Admin.)

The number one driving distraction reported by teen drivers (Source: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com)

Texting While Driving:

Makes you 23X more likely to crash (Source: National Hwy Transportation Safety Admin.)

Is the same as driving blind for 5 seconds at a time (Source: VA. Tech Transportation Institute)

Takes place by 800,000 drivers at any given time across the country

Slows your brake reaction speed by 18% (Source: Human Factors & Ergonomics Society)

Leads to a 400% increase with eyes off the road

Not enough to convince you to STOP texting while driving?

How about this:

At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. (NOPUS)

Engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times. (VTTI)

Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded. (2009, VTTI)

Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)

A quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving.(UMTRI)

Still not on the bandwagon?

How about some financial (out of your own pocket that is) incentive via Arizona State Law:

Although there is no ban on handheld cell phone use, the city of Phoenix prohibits texting and fines are $100 (or $250 if texting is the cause of an accident).

The city of Tucson has also passed anti-texting legislation that, like Phoenix, fines are $100 (or $250 if texting is the cause of an accident).

JUST STOP.

This year and every year, Zanes Law is asking all drivers to make a pledge to Stop Texting and Driving. Please join us in this campaign because whatever it is, IT CAN WAIT. JUST DRIVE.