Which Is More Dangerous Drunk Driving Or Texting?

Is Texting While Driving More Dangerous Than Drunk Driving? 

Taking a ride on the highway with your phone in your hand is considered to be a dangerous distraction. Fortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a regulation in place to keep drivers from texting while they’re on the road. However, texting while driving isn’t the only risky distraction out there. 

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One of the most common forms of distracted driving is talking on the phone, and it’s more dangerous than you think. Studies show that drivers who talk on their phones while driving are twice as likely to be involved in an accident as drivers who wait to do so after arriving at their destination. 

It’s not surprising that texting while driving is a growing problem. While some experts claim that texting while driving is safer than drinking and driving, research shows that it isn’t. Texting while driving also reduces the driver’s ability to react to changes on the road. A Virginia Tech study found that texting while driving takes 4.6 seconds off the road. 

A more interesting study from Car and Driver magazine found that sending or receiving a text while driving isn’t all that much safer than talking on the phone. They measured reaction times when driving while texting, reading a text message, and reading an email. They also tested the braking time of intoxicated drivers. They found that drivers who text while driving are about four feet closer to a crash than drivers who don’t. While this isn’t an official study, a similar study found that drivers who use a cell phone while driving has a reaction time as short as 4.6 seconds, which is about the same as driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Although both are dangerous, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that texting while driving is the most dangerous of all. Texting while driving is also the most likely to cause an accident. It’s estimated that in 2015, texting and driving were responsible for at least 390,000 injuries and 3,500 fatalities. While this isn’t a lot of people, it’s still enough to make texting while driving one of the most dangerous things to do behind the wheel. 

The most important thing to remember when texting while driving is that the road ahead isn’t a text message. The best way to check your phone is to pull over or park your vehicle. However, most states haven’t yet banned cell phones while driving. 

If you’re still wondering which is more dangerous, drinking and driving or texting while driving, you should know that the CDC has confirmed that texting while driving is the most dangerous thing to do on the road. If you’re planning to hit the road shortly, you should learn all you can about the dangers of drunk driving and texting while driving. These two dangerous behaviors are also linked to more fatal car accidents than the more mundane behaviors of chatting on the phone and eating.