ABUSE_MAGAZINE_ID_ ABUSE Magazine Wisconsin | Page 16

Page 16 | ABUSE Magazine Source: stoptextsstopwrecks.org/ HOW WILL YOU STOP TEXTING & DRIVING? Out of sight, out of mind. When you're in the car, put your phone where you can't get it. A place where you won't even be tempted to look for it. No phone. No texting. Find your app. An app can help you stop texting and driving. Download your fave and forget about it in the car. Silence is golden. Turn those notifications off. The less you hear your phone, the less tempted you'll be to respond while you're driving. Designate a texter Borrow thumbs from a friend. Or lend yours to a friend. Passengers get the privilege of texting while in motion. abusemagazine.org 29 Facts you should know about texting while driving FACT #1 Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field. (2009, VTTI) FACT #2 A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver. (2009, VTTI) FACT #3 Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (2009, NHTSA) FACT #4 Using a cell phone while driving, whether it's handheld or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. FACT #5 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (2009, NHTSA) FACT #6 In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. FACT #7 The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group. 16% of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. FACT #8 Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. FACT #9 49% of drivers with cell phones under the age of 35 send or read text messages while driving. (2011, Harris Poll) FACT #10 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving. (2011, Harris Poll)