You hear your cellphone buzz while you’re driving. You know the text could be important, someone is expecting your swift reply. Do you pick up the phone and read the text? Do you reply?
Most people know that the safe and correct answer is probably “no,” texting and driving is proven to be pretty dangerous. Unfortunately, texting and driving is still something that happens frequently. In fact, over the last few years, texting and driving has actually become more common.
In New York City, where there are millions of cell phones, people, and cars crowding the roads, texting and driving poses an even greater risk. Sudden stops, construction sites, parked cars, and pedestrian crossings require a driver’s full attention on the road in order to avoid serious accidents — and a simulation is proving it.
The city Department of Transportation partnered with AT&T to prove to drivers of all ages that sending a quick text while behind the wheel can quickly cause a dangerous accident. A texting and driving simulator proved to participants that texting and driving is a bad decision.
The machine was put out on the corner of Broadway and 23 rd Street. Anyone who chose to take the challenge sat in a drivers seat and began navigating digital city streets on a monitor. As the participants
drove they received a text on a phone connected to the simulator and were prompted to respond.
Nobody lasted very long, and some New Yorkers were surprised by just how distracting texting and driving can be.
A 21-year-old woman lasted only two minutes. According to the news story, the effort she put toward correctly spelling words in her text caused an accident. While she was trying to correct her text, a car pulled out causing a T-bone accident.
Another participant almost hit a parked car after drifting to the side of the road while texting, proving that texting and driving doesn’t just cause collisions with oncoming traffic.
This activity was an attempt to “educate the public in a very hands-on way that is not preachy,” and most of the people who sat down and tried to text and drive learned a good lesson.
If there is ever a chance to participate in an activity such as this in New York City, the car accident attorneys at the Law Office of David J. Hernandez & Associates encourages everyone to do so.
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