Texting while driving increases crash risk 23 times

From the NY Times:

Texting while driving Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin, far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. When the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting.

36 states do not ban texting while driving; 14 do, including Alaska, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

95% of drivers said that texting was unacceptable behavior. Yet 21% had recently texted or e-mailed while driving.

50% of drivers 16 to 24 said they had texted while driving, compared with 22% of drivers 35 to 44.





Related:
CNN: Boston trolley driver was texting at time of crash which injured 20 people http://bit.ly/11vRN6
Stay Alive, Don't Text and Drive
Americans turning their cars into wired offices claiming efficiency far outweigh the risk of a wreck. http://bit.ly/h7PdH

AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary (video).
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.