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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released the results of their spring 2013 study of teen risky behaviors. This study found that 41% of the 13,000 surveyed nationally admitted that they had texted and/or emailed while driving at least one day during the 30 days previous to being surveyed. Thirteen thousand U.S. high school students voluntarily participated in this anonymous survey. 

Florida's statistics show 3,589 students or 36.2% said they had texted and/or emailed while driving. Of this 36.2%, 34.7% were female and 37.3% were male.

Eighty-two percent of Americans ages 16-17 own cell phones. Unfortunately, a study revealed that 77% of young adults are very, or somewhat, confident they can safely text while driving; 55% claim it is easy to text while driving.  (Source: OnlineSchools.com)

When texting and/or emailing while driving, the minimum amount of time that the eyes are taken from the road is 5 seconds.  In that same 5 seconds, travelling at 55 mph, a vehicle can travel the length of a football field without looking at the road.

The combination of inattention for a minimum of 5 seconds of texting and/or emailing while driving and the weight of the vehicle travelling at least the length of a football field is a formula for potential danger and devastation.

Below is a chart of the weight of the different vehicle classes.  This chart shows that the vehicles we drive weigh between 2,979 to 5,411 pounds.

"We, at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. encourage drivers to do everything possible to eliminate the tragedy of crashes caused by texting and driving." said Cape Coral Vehicle Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Here are a few tips to help teens, and adults, avoid the temptation of texting and/or emailing while driving:

• Put the cell phone away.  They say "out of sight, out of mind".  Turning the cell phone off and keeping it out of sight will keep the mind off wanting to respond to incoming messages.  Incoming messages can wait until it is safe to answer them.
• Silence the cell phone.  If the cell phone is silenced, there will be no temptation to answer it.
• Put a message on the cell phone.  Mobile carriers, such as AT&T (AT&T DriveMode^®)have free apps (currently avilable for Android & BlackBerry only) which can be downloaded to notify incoming texters that the driver is unavailable.  When the AT&T DriveMode is on and the vehicle is moving 25 mpg, it will automatically send a customizable auto-reply message to incoming texts.  This app will allow the driver to let their friends know they are behind the wheel and will reply when it is save to do so.  Parents may also receive text alerts on their cell phones when the AT&T DriveMode has been turned off.

Cape Coral Vehicle Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.