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Rusty Walters, 24, of Towson, often uses his iPhone while making his daily commute. (Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis / September 24, 2009) |
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Rusty Walters doesn't get bored on his commute between Owings Mills and Towson - he has his iPhone for entertainment. With his left hand guiding the wheel, Walters types with his right. His eyes flicker between the road and the phone as he updates his Facebook status, scans Twitter and exchanges text messages.
"As soon as I drive out of the garage, I have to check my phone," said Walters, a 24-year-old who works in marketing. "I realize it's not the best idea in the world. There have definitely been many close calls when I'll put my phone down and not use it for the rest of the car ride."
While many motorists routinely send text messages from behind the wheel, studies show the practice is as dangerous as driving drunk. On Thursday, it also becomes illegal. A new state law makes typing or sending text messages while driving a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.
For young adults accustomed to constant communication with friends, picking up the phone can feel like a reflex - even when driving.
"We do it so much it feels like second nature," said Caitlin Caldwell, a graduate student in education at McDaniel College, who says she occasionally steers with her elbows while typing with both hands. "Everyone I know texts while driving, and we know it's bad, but it's hard to stop."
While it's difficult to determine how many collisions have been caused by text messaging, studies have shown that it is one of the most dangerous distractions for drivers. Truck drivers sending text messages were 23 percent more likely to crash or nearly crash than drivers who were not distracted, according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
"It's impossible to send a text message and follow the key rule to safe driving - to keep both hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road," said Lori Rakowski, a spokeswoman for the Maryland State Highway Administration. "If you take your eyes off the road for just one second while going 65 miles an hour, you will travel 100 feet without seeing the road. That can cause a fender bender, get you into a work zone or lead to other dangerous situations."
Last year, Heather Hurd, the daughter of a Harford County couple, was one of two women killed when a text messaging tractor-trailer driver caused a pileup near Orlando, Fla. In Utah in 2006, two men died after a 19-year-old lost control of his car while texting. And five recent high school graduates were killed in a fiery crash in upstate New York in 2007, when the driver of their car slammed into a tractor-trailer moments after sending a text.
Although drivers acknowledge the dangers of messaging while motoring, many continue to do it. Ninety percent of drivers call texting "a very serious threat to safety," but one in five of those drivers admit to texting in the past month, according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation.
Caldwell, the McDaniel student, has been texting furiously since she was 16. She exchanges about 80 messages a day - jokes, words of encouragement, plans for the weekend. The 24-year-old's BlackBerry often pings to announce a message as she drives between her apartment in Westminster and her family's home in Perry Hall.
"I drive a stick shift and sometimes if I'm texting with two hands and have to shift, I just rev up the engine," she said.
While teens and 20-somethings frequently admit to driving and texting, many in their parents' generation find the idea horrifying.
"I've seen too many near-misses," said Bob Schmidt, 54, of Lutherville. "We were on our way to Rehoboth last weekend and we saw a car drifting across the lane. There was a young woman in her 20s driving with the phone up above the wheel. You could see her looking up and then down at the phone. And this was on I-95 - nice road to do that on."
"Younger people don't understand the seriousness of it," said his wife, Josephine Schmidt, also 54. "They still think they're immortal."
It's particularly dangerous for teen drivers to drive and text, said Ragina C. Averella, a spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Not only are they participating in a dangerous behavior, but they're inexperienced drivers to begin with."
Under current state law, drivers under age 18 with a provisional license are forbidden from using cell phones except to place an emergency call.
Walters, the marketing employee, says he believes he can maintain control of his Volkswagen Jetta while texting. On a recent afternoon, he dropped his phone in his lap when merging onto and off of the Beltway, and kept up with the flow of traffic on the ride between Owings Mills and Towson. He uses the phone mostly at red lights and during stop-and-go traffic, he said.
"I can stop at any point," he said. "It's not like drunk driving where your reasoning is impaired."
He believes he will text while driving less frequently when the ban takes effect, but the habit will be hard to break.
"I think it's a good law, but I don't think it's going to stop people from texting," Walters said. "I'll be more careful about it, especially if I see an officer."
"As soon as I drive out of the garage, I have to check my phone," said Walters, a 24-year-old who works in marketing. "I realize it's not the best idea in the world. There have definitely been many close calls when I'll put my phone down and not use it for the rest of the car ride."
While many motorists routinely send text messages from behind the wheel, studies show the practice is as dangerous as driving drunk. On Thursday, it also becomes illegal. A new state law makes typing or sending text messages while driving a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.
For young adults accustomed to constant communication with friends, picking up the phone can feel like a reflex - even when driving.
"We do it so much it feels like second nature," said Caitlin Caldwell, a graduate student in education at McDaniel College, who says she occasionally steers with her elbows while typing with both hands. "Everyone I know texts while driving, and we know it's bad, but it's hard to stop."
While it's difficult to determine how many collisions have been caused by text messaging, studies have shown that it is one of the most dangerous distractions for drivers. Truck drivers sending text messages were 23 percent more likely to crash or nearly crash than drivers who were not distracted, according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
"It's impossible to send a text message and follow the key rule to safe driving - to keep both hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road," said Lori Rakowski, a spokeswoman for the Maryland State Highway Administration. "If you take your eyes off the road for just one second while going 65 miles an hour, you will travel 100 feet without seeing the road. That can cause a fender bender, get you into a work zone or lead to other dangerous situations."
Last year, Heather Hurd, the daughter of a Harford County couple, was one of two women killed when a text messaging tractor-trailer driver caused a pileup near Orlando, Fla. In Utah in 2006, two men died after a 19-year-old lost control of his car while texting. And five recent high school graduates were killed in a fiery crash in upstate New York in 2007, when the driver of their car slammed into a tractor-trailer moments after sending a text.
Although drivers acknowledge the dangers of messaging while motoring, many continue to do it. Ninety percent of drivers call texting "a very serious threat to safety," but one in five of those drivers admit to texting in the past month, according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation.
Caldwell, the McDaniel student, has been texting furiously since she was 16. She exchanges about 80 messages a day - jokes, words of encouragement, plans for the weekend. The 24-year-old's BlackBerry often pings to announce a message as she drives between her apartment in Westminster and her family's home in Perry Hall.
"I drive a stick shift and sometimes if I'm texting with two hands and have to shift, I just rev up the engine," she said.
While teens and 20-somethings frequently admit to driving and texting, many in their parents' generation find the idea horrifying.
"I've seen too many near-misses," said Bob Schmidt, 54, of Lutherville. "We were on our way to Rehoboth last weekend and we saw a car drifting across the lane. There was a young woman in her 20s driving with the phone up above the wheel. You could see her looking up and then down at the phone. And this was on I-95 - nice road to do that on."
"Younger people don't understand the seriousness of it," said his wife, Josephine Schmidt, also 54. "They still think they're immortal."
It's particularly dangerous for teen drivers to drive and text, said Ragina C. Averella, a spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Not only are they participating in a dangerous behavior, but they're inexperienced drivers to begin with."
Under current state law, drivers under age 18 with a provisional license are forbidden from using cell phones except to place an emergency call.
Walters, the marketing employee, says he believes he can maintain control of his Volkswagen Jetta while texting. On a recent afternoon, he dropped his phone in his lap when merging onto and off of the Beltway, and kept up with the flow of traffic on the ride between Owings Mills and Towson. He uses the phone mostly at red lights and during stop-and-go traffic, he said.
"I can stop at any point," he said. "It's not like drunk driving where your reasoning is impaired."
He believes he will text while driving less frequently when the ban takes effect, but the habit will be hard to break.
"I think it's a good law, but I don't think it's going to stop people from texting," Walters said. "I'll be more careful about it, especially if I see an officer."
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I struggled with answering calls on the road when driving. I downloaded an application called drivesafe.ly to send messages without using my hands.
Drivesafely (11/19/2009, 12:32 AM )