Texting While Driving Is Bad News
Texting While Driving Is Bad News
If you’re a young person, you’ve probably been lectured to death about the dangers of texting and driving. Well, we’re going to repeat that message here because it’s so important. No matter how invincible you believe you are, texting while driving is a recipe for deadly disaster. To prove it, we’ll cite some statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC, there were more than 5,400 traffic accident deaths in 2009 attributed to distracted driving. An additional 448,000 people were injured. That’s bad enough, but it gets worse:
- 1,000 deaths and 24,000 injuries were directly related to texting while driving
- 9% of all American drivers report regularly texting or e-mailing while driving
- 52% of drivers between 18 and 29 report regularly texting or e-mailing while driving
If those numbers aren’t enough to alarm you, perhaps the only thing that will get your attention is an accident. But why risk an accident when it’s so simple to turn off your phone and put it in the glove compartment? Why risk potentially harming yourself or your passengers; or worse yet, killing someone?
Insurance Companies Take Texting While Driving Seriously
Texting while driving is such a bad idea that insurance companies do everything, they can to dissuade drivers from doing so. As an example, if you get a texting while driving ticket you can expect your insurance rates to skyrocket. As long as that ticket remains on your record you will pay for it through your insurance premiums.
Should you have an accident because of texting while driving, the financial consequences may be even worse. Consider the possibility that your car insurance policy may not cover you fully after an accident caused by illegal behavior. Being that driving while texting is illegal in most states, you could be left holding the financial bag if such behavior led to an accident.
Reduce Insurance Premiums by Reducing Risk
More important in determining your car insurance rates than the car you drive, the city where you live, or your age, is your behavior behind the wheel. The single most important thing any driver can do to keep his insurance rates low is to avoid accidents and violations. That includes texting while driving.
The safer you are behind the wheel the less you pay in car insurance as the years roll on. Conversely, the more dangerous you are the more you’ll pay. It’s just common sense. Car insurance companies have to protect themselves against claims that could potentially bankrupt their business. To do that requires they charge higher rates from drivers who are more dangerous.
If you’ve already gotten a ticket for texting while driving you’ll have to live with until your record is clean. For the time being, do what you can to stay out of trouble. That starts with leaving your cell phone in the glove compartment or at home before you get on the road. No text message is so important that it can’t wait until you get to your destination.
