In recent years, many people have become increasingly aware of the hazards of imbibing in alcohol and then driving. This is mainly because of the efforts of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and other similar organizations. All of us should know by now it is not only illegal to drink and drive, but it is also dangerous. Sadly, when we finally realize this problem, a new issue has now come up in the 21st century, people texting when they are driving.It was not too long ago that cellular phones were only for the wealthy. Today, they have become so affordable that even little kids carry one. No one can dispute the fact that cellular phones have made it easier to communicate with one another in fact, it may just be a bit too easy today. Today, we can even text or call people when we are traveling in our cars, and this sometimes endangers the drivers or others.According to The Ryder Law Firm (ryderlaw.com), texting while driving has compared to drunk driving by many. The data gathered so far backs up this comparison. The truth is that texting and driving at the same time could be more hazardous than drunk driving! In spite of many of the states having banned the use of handheld phones while driving, about 25% of the drivers admit to conversing on their mobile phones on a routine basis while driving as far as information gathered by the CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). The percentage is about 40% for those in the 18 – 29 year old bracket, and this is also the group that does the most texting.

The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) issued a report stating that a driver looks away from the road for about 4.6 seconds on average to receive or send a single text message. To give a visual to this, think about driving blindfolded across an entire football field from goal post to goal post at expressway speeds. What is the comparison facts about texting and driving compared to the drunk driving? We turn to the Car and Driver magazine’s experts to learn more about these facts.

This well-known publication had two drivers navigate of specific course, and tested them on texting or drunk from alcohol as distractions. Their car’ dashboard was equipped with a red light that lit up every time the driver’s needed to brake. The testing was done at not only 35mph, but also 70mph to see the length of time it took for the car to stop in normal conditions. After the reaction times were recorded as a baseline, the drivers then went through testing to see what their reaction times are while typing a text message and ready the response, along with testing for reaction times with blood-alcohol levels that registered .08. With the first driver, who had a reaction baseline of .57 seconds at 35mph, while intoxicated his reaction time was .64 his reaction time increased to a surprising 1.36 when he texted. The other driver, who happened to be younger had baseline of .45, then while intoxicated his reaction was .46 and when he texted it was .52.

Of course, this is not an indication the drunk driving is safer than we once thought. Drivers whose blood-alcohol level is much higher than the legal limit of .08 cause many serious accidents. This means reaction times for them were more than the ones reported in the test held by the Car and Driver magazine. The test by Car and Driver magazine does prove that texting when driving is as hazardous as has been reported in the media.

Some DUI information provide by www.alabamaduiattorney.com.