10/14/2013
Should Alabama ban cellphone use when driving?
In 2011, 3,331 Americans were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, up from 3,267 in 2010. 387,000 people were also injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For drivers 15-19 years old in the fatal crashes, 21 percent of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cellphones.
Do these numbers shock you? Sadly, they probably confirm what you already know: cellphone use and driving often ends poorly.
Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds; at 55-mph, this is like driving the length of a football field—blind.