Most people are very aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, but texting while driving is becoming just as serious a threat on our public roadways.
A recent study conducted in Australia simply confirmed what many have already assumed to be true: that texting and driving can be just as dangerous or risky as drunk driving. This was published in the Traffic Injury Prevention Journal.
Conducted by Australian researchers and scientists from the University of Barcelona, the study established that in terms of road risks, texting while driving is very comparable to driving while drunk. The study also found that the risks were also similar to drivers who used a hands-free device.
Researchers gathered 12 volunteers who participated in two driving simulation tests that were one week apart. On the first day, all volunteers were asked
to perform numerous driving tasks in various situations. Drivers consumed no alcohol on this day, and were asked to drive a simulation under four different conditions: without the use of a mobile phone, while engaged in a simple conversation using a hands-free device, while in an involved conversation using a hands-free device, and while texting. These participants were assessed based on their reaction time, braking speed, variations in speed, and their ability to remain in one lane.
One week later, the same group of 12 was asked to perform the same tasks, this time after consuming alcohol. Volunteers were given enough alcohol to reach three BAC levels of intoxication: 0.04, 0.07 and 0.10.
The study results were rather startling. Driving skills of those with a BAC of .10 (25 percent over the legal limit) declined just as sharply as those who were merely texting while behind the wheel.
Those using hands-free devices for simple conversations appeared to have a similar decline in driving skills as those with a BAC of .04 percent. On the other hand, drivers engaged in involved or intense conversations experienced a decline in driving skills comparable to individuals with a BAC of .07.
The authors of this study admitted that they were surprised to see the difference in driving abilities for individuals deep in conversation as opposed to those who were simply chatting. The results were particularly surprising considering that both groups were using hands-free devices.
Basically, this study emphasizes what the public already knows: that texting and driving can be incredibly dangerous and even life threatening.
It is imperative that driver's take this issue very seriously and refrain from texting while driving. Until this happens, we may unfortunately continue to have an increase in traffic accidents as a result.
