Texting while driving more dangerous than drunk driving?

What’s just one more text, right? It’ll only take a few seconds. Many drivers, both experienced and not, think that just one more text message, or a quick glance at a message received, is harmless. But that is not the case. People tell me all the time: “But I was only texting when he pulled me over…it’s not like I was drinking and driving.” Of course, there is no excuse for drunk driving, but studies show that texting and driving can be just as bad, if not worse than people who are driving with a BAC over the legal limit. In fact, researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say that texting and driving is as much as six time more dangerous than drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs. Studies show that, regardless if you are sending or reading a text message, if a driver’s eyes are taken away from the road for 4.6 seconds at fifty-five miles per hour, the driver can cover the length of a football field. Now that texting and driving is illegal, cops are cracking down. Because the fine for texting while driving is only $50 and can be somewhat hard to prove, police officers will often try to get drivers on other infractions, such as not wearing a seat belt, not using a turn signal while changing lanes, or having a light that is burnt out. I’ve had clients come to me saying that the officer told them they were pulled over for texting while driving, only to pull away from the situation with more than $500 in fines. I highly recommend that you refrain from distracted driving. If you’re unsure of what constitutes distracted driving, consider this: if you are attending to your kids, setting a navigation device, shaving, putting on makeup, eating breakfast, reading, texting, talking on the phone, or even changing the radio station, these can all be considered different forms of distracted driving. Safety experts break down distracted driving into three different categories—visual, manual, and cognitive. The big problem with texting while driving is that it involves all three categories, spelling a recipe for disaster. At the Law Offices of Gary E. Gerson, we understand that people make mistakes. Whether you made the mistake of having too much to drink before you got behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, or if you thought it was necessary to send that one last text message while driving and were then hit with a multitude of other infractions, call Pittsburgh drunk driving attorney Gary Gerson for a free consultation at 412-219-6875. Remember, many traffic infractions will cost you points on your driver’s license, so fighting a ticket may be your best option. Call today.