A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a blog post about how there are many dangerous activities and actions that a driver can take behind the wheel. These actions decrease the drivers’ focus on the road and increase the likelihood that an accident will occur. Of course, drinking and driving is one of these activities — but there are many actions that are just as bad, and arguably worse, than drinking while driving.
Of primary concern in this regard is texting while driving. A new report suggests that though 98 percent of people are aware of the dangers texting while driving presents, 75 percent of them still do it. It’s an astonishing collision of two competing ideas.
But more so, there is evidence that texting while driving is potentially worse than drinking while driving. It’s such an easy act (we always have access to our cellphones), everyone thinks they can multitask better than others (a false belief that many people exhibit) and, ultimately, texting is a rewarding experience that gives us a hit of dopamine, so we are essentially bound to keep doing it.
According to the doctor in our source article, the texting while driving situation is very similar to where drinking and driving was 30 or 40 years ago: it was a known danger, but there wasn’t enough outrage or movement to address the issue effectively. Maybe in the coming years we can do something about it — while also realizing that drunk drivers aren’t always the “worst” kind of people out there.
Source: Huffington Post, “When Will Texting And Driving Be As Taboo As Drunken Driving?,” Katy Hall, Nov. 7, 2014
