That text can wait.
In March, Jack D. Young, 20, turned his smartphone into a weapon when he texted while driving, veered into the oncoming lane of traffic and killed 13 senior citizens on their way home from a church retreat. While trapped in his crumpled pickup, Young was overheard saying, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was texting on my phone.” This year the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 62, making it illegal to text or e-mail while driving throughout the state. The law goes into effect Sept. 1, 2017. Texas is the 47th state to ban texting while driving. Only Arizona, Missouri and Montana have yet to outlaw this dangerous activity. Texting has been directly linked to 1.6 million accidents nationwide every year and is responsible for 11 deaths of teen-agers every day across the United States. We know the statistics: Texting makes you 23 times more likely to have an accident. It makes you 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving while drunk. We hear and read the warnings, yet we continue to be distracted drivers. “It’s more than just texting or e-mailing while driving. People are checking Facebook and watching YouTube videos,” said Loreen Shay, Germania casualty claims unit manager. “Having access to technology as a whole reduces your focus on the road.” The new law could have a big impact on how accident liability is handled, too. “Texas is a comparative negligence state — so we can divvy up the fault based on what caused the accident,” Shay said. That means that in Texas, which uses a modified comparative fault rule, people injured in a car accident cannot recover damages from the other party if they are 51 percent or more
at fault for the accident. So if you’re texting, e-mailing or otherwise distracted when hit by another vehicle, you may still be considered at fault. Breaking away There’s science behind the urge to text or e-mail while driving. According to Dr. David Greenfield, founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction, when your phone alerts you of a message, your brain releases dopamine in anticipation of something potentially pleasurable. He believes addiction drives the behavior of reacting to those alerts, so even though you know it’s dangerous, you still take the chance. In addition, FOMO — fear of missing out — overrides your knowledge of the statistics and facts associated with this unsafe (and now illegal) behavior. Texting, surfing, e-mailing and chatting in the car are also a part of our “always on” society that values fast replies, pithy comments and status updates about our every activity and emotion. If you find yourself unable to control your social urges while you drive, try some of these strategies for breaking the habit: • Turn off your phone. Give it a rest. Let it reset. • Put your phone out of reach in the trunk or glove compartment. • Hand your phone to a passenger and let them be the phone pilot. • Set auto replies for texts and e-mails, then mute the alerts. Choose to arrive alive. Don’t text and drive. And now in Texas, don’t break the law.
Fall 2017 | 5
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