Roadside Chat - If you text & drive, today's your day. Fool
According to the National Safety Council, 94 percent of drivers support a texting while driving ban, yet 75 percent of drivers text while driving. When this behavior kills thousands each year, people justifiably want to know why drivers persist in this dangerous habit.
The NSC gives several reasons why people have such a hard time stowing the phone when they are driving.
Irresponsibility - There are those people who simply don’t care that they are putting themselves and others at risk. These are the people we’re talking to with today’s message.
Brain chemical changes - One underlying factor for this risky behavior could stem from the fact texting or posting on social media releases a small dopamine boost inside a human’s brain. It’s believed that small chemical change impairs our judgment, almost like a drug, and overrides the known dangers of texting while driving. As a result, people are still willing to type out those texts despite understanding the dangers.
Self-deception – We all like to think we can do it all. But we often overestimate our driving capabilities. If you are one of the many who think you’re a great multi-tasker, Research cognitive neuroscientist Day Strayer holds that only about 2.5 percent of the population can actually do so.
When you get behind the wheel, you make any number of choices. While it is easy to say, “Just put down the phone,” doing that simple task can prove to be a challenge. Take the challenge. Put down the phone.
How can texting and driving impact lives? Check out this story - https://youtu.be/t7911kgJJZc
So far in 2022, there have been 63 deaths in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of six since last Friday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf