You've seen the heart-wrenching commercials and the signs on the highway, so by this point, you know that texting and driving do not mix. But somehow you still manage to find yourself glancing at your phone or quickly replying to a text.
This must stop.
Especially if you operate a fleet and find yourself on the road more often than the average person. You should not be texting and driving no matter how confident you are in your driving abilities.
Keep reading for seven facts about texting and driving that are scary and will open your eyes to the dangers.
It only takes three seconds for an accident to occur after taking your eyes off the road. This means that checking a single text can cause an accident before you even know it.
For the average person, it takes a minimum of five seconds to read a text message. Therefore your eyes will be off the road for a lot longer than three seconds when checking your phone so you're more likely to get into an accident.
The "3-second rule" is taught to many new drivers when learning about the distance they should keep between their car and another car. Focus on a non-moving object like a sign or tree when another car passes it and then count to see how many seconds it takes for you to pass the same object. If it is less than three seconds, then you would be unable to brake safely if needed.
This is a great rule to think about when it comes to texting or checking your phone while driving. If you wouldn't be able to stop in three seconds when paying attention, then you're definitely not going to be able to make a quick and safe stop if you're distracted.
You may think that checking your phone is a quick and easy task but when you do that you're taking your eyes off the road and putting many lives in danger. When even glancing at your phone you're spending 400 percent less time looking at the road than someone who is consciously driving. This is a huge amount of time and should help open your eyes to the negative effects of cellphone usage while driving.
With RomeX you can control what messages your fleet drivers are receiving. This service really helps to cut down on distracted driving and makes sure you know that your driver and everyone around them is safe. The last thing you want is a fatal accident to happen due to distracted driving.
Since smartphones have been more accessible for more people they've become a staple in our daily lives. But checking your phone while driving should be something that you never do.
Statistics show that 18% of all fatal accidents happen because of cell phone use while driving. This is a scary and eye-opening statistic that hopefully in the future will be lower.
When you use your phone while driving you're taking your eyes off the road, hands off the steering wheel, and your mind is not focused on driving. These are three key things that can cause accidents to happen quickly and should be avoided at all costs.
When you look at the facts and statistics, texting while driving has created more accidents and done more harm than drunk driving. Someone who is texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than someone who is driving drunk.
Both of these are terrible and should never be done but with the facts, you can see how horrible distracted driving really is. Reaction time for a drunk driver is very poor which is why accidents happen. But when it comes to someone who is texting or checking their phone while driving, their reaction time is even worse.
The sad truth is that drunk driving is easy to prove while distracted driving is not. So even when we see the statistic they are not as accurate, because so many texting while driving cases are unreported.
When you're driving a fleet, you're putting yourself and so many other people at risk if you choose to use your phone while driving. In 2017, there were 170,993 injuries in the UK from distracted driving. Whether it is the driver who was texting or the person they ran into.
It's very important to keep yourself and others safe which is where RomeX comes in. This service is easy to install on a phone and eliminates the temptation of looking at a cellphone while driving.
It is currently illegal to use your phone at all while driving in the UK. This law became stricter in 2017 and the penalty has been raised significantly for drivers doing so.
You can land yourself a fine, penalty points, or even a driving ban if caught using your phone at all. Therefore, texting while driving is proven to create more problems than good. Many people have died and become injured from someone else texting while driving.
Driving a fleet may make you believe that you are a confident and safe driver but the minute you pick up a cellphone you become the riskiest driver on the road. If anything you should realize that distracted driving is unsafe driving.
Texting and phone calls can wait until you've reached your destination. Nothing is more important than you and everyone else on the road making it home safely.
These facts about texting and driving should be eye-opening and scare you. The next time you see a friend or family member using their phone while driving you should warn them of the terrifying outcomes it could cause.
You should keep yourself safe as well as other drivers especially if you're driving a fleet. You spend a lot of time on the road and you should want to be safe as well as keeping everyone around you safe.
Now that you've learned the terrifying facts about texting and driving you can submit your information to get in contact with one of the knowledgable members of our sales team. They can answer any questions or concerns you might have and help guide you in a safe direction!