Most experienced drivers understand that the fewer accidents you have, the less you are likely to pay for auto insurance in Rhode Island. Rhode Island drivers, despite this, continually risk their money and their lives by texting while behind the wheel. There has been a lot of huff and puff about texting in recent years, but the question remains – is it really dangerous to text while you are driving?
The truth is that when you text while you are in control of a motor vehicle, you are 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident. In fact, it is thought that texting impairs your response time even more than alcohol. A focused driver has the ability to brake in less than a second of noticing an obstacle. It takes four extra feet before a drunk driver slams on the brakes. According to a study by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on driver distractions, texting drivers, right before experiencing a collision, looked at their phones for about five seconds – on a highway, this is long enough to travel more than the distance of a football field.
An accident can occur in a matter of seconds. Being distracted by texting can deprive you of the time you need to avoid a collision. Putting aside the cost of auto insurance, Rhode Island drivers tempted to text should ask themselves – “Is this message really worth my life?"