10 CAR PILE-UP! ROTFL!
by John Paczkowski
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 7:50 AM PT
It’s no surprise to hear that one in four Americans drives like an idiot, but to learn that a similar percentage truly are idiots, well… I guess that’s not really a surprise either. After all, you’d have to be pretty dim to text while driving, a practice that widespread research and more than a few fatal accidents have proven to be a dangerous distraction. My God, people can’t even walk and text at the same time.
According to a new survey from Vlingo, a company that develops speech-recognition technology for mobile phones, 26 percent of its nationwide sample of 4,816 mobile phone users said they sent texts while driving. This despite laws against Driving While Texting in some seven states and some nasty DWT-related accidents. The states with the highest percentage of DWT drivers: Tennessee (42 percent), New Jersey (35 percent), Alabama (34), Idaho (33) and Oklahoma (31.7).
Ironically, 83 percent of the people surveyed said they feel texting while driving should be illegal.
“In just one year, the public conversation about the issue of DWT has escalated, particularly in the wake of some high-profile accidents,” Dave Grannan, chief executive of Vlingo, said in a statement. “Texting is such an integral component of our daily lives, and the cautionary tales about DWT danger have not stemmed the tide. We predicted last year that this problem would get worse, and it has since more people are texting. The good news is that many state legislatures are starting to take up this issue, and today more advanced technologies exist that can increase safety on the roads.”
My God, if one in four drivers admit to driving while texting, how many more were too ashamed to?
Comments
As Forrest Gum said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Luckily, it’s not 1 in 4 drivers, but drivers who text.
Maybe the designation Smartphone needs to be reexamined?
Posted by Eric Welch at May 22nd, 2009 at 8:20 am