NYC Truck Accidents And Text Messaging

Across the country, a number of states have passed laws that ban teens from texting on their cell phones while driving - but what about the dangers of texting truckers? A new study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and reported by the New York Times reports that text messaging and truck driving lead to more truck accidents, more truck accident injuries, and more truck accident fatalities.

The distracted driving study placed cameras in the cabs of truck drivers for 18 months and captured how many times a trucker texted while on the road. The final verdict? Truckers who sent texts messages while driving were 23 times more likely to cause a truck accident than truckers who kept their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.

The video cameras also caught just how distracting texting while driving is for everyone. Truckers spent an average of five seconds looking down at their cell phone screens and with their eyes off the road - plenty of time to miss a quickly stopping car, crossing wildlife, or any other road danger that requires quick thinking. Even more frightening is the fact that texting is increasing in popularity every day - with Americans sending an unbeleiveable 100 billion texts every month.

In New York, legislators have sent a bill to Gov. David A. Paterson to ban texting on the road. Hopefully, the law will pass and go into effect on our state's roads as soon as possible. Data shows the move will more than likely reduce the number of NY truck accidents on our roads and interstates.