Military Personnel Texting While Driving

26 Feb Military Personnel Texting While Driving

Who is the most likely to take dangerous chances by texting and driving? This is a question to which most of us believe we have the answer. However, a recent survey by USAA may leave you surprised.

Statistical Recap

Most people think teenagers are the group most likely to engage in the dangerous practice of texting and driving, but according to a survey conducted by USAA (an insurance and financial services agency based out of San Antonio), military officers are even more likely to text and drive than teenagers. That’s right – disciplined military officers. The study discovered a total of 43 percent of enlisted military personnel and a staggering 51 percent of commanding officers admitted they engage in the dangerous habit of texting while they are driving. A study AT&T conducted on teen texting and driving in 2012 shows 43 percent of teenagers text while driving – on par with adult enlisted military personnel.

Another interesting fact in that the study discovered 53 percent of female service members admit they text while driving compared to 40 percent of male service members. Drivers who become distracted while they are behind the wheel are a huge problem nationwide. According to a press release by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distractions on the road led to the deaths of 3,328 people and injured 421,000 nationwide in 2012 alone.

The USAA study was conducted in 2013, and the participants they polled included 904 service members on active duty from all five of the military branches. Approximately 40 percent of those members stated they continue to drive even when distracted by their phone simply out of habit. In spite of these numbers, 90 percent said they consider it unsafe to do so. Interestingly, service members who have been deployed have a lesser chance of engaging in the dangerous habit.

Potential Dangers

Texting and driving is a huge problem which can affect us all. The introduction of so many different types of mobile phones (essentially computers) capable of providing users with texting capabilities makes the problem even more difficult to control. Although many states have enacted laws that forbid drivers from texting while behind the wheel, the practice still continues. All a person needs to do is pick up a newspaper to read about the number of car accidents that have resulted from drivers diverting their attention away from the road to texting on their cell phones. The internet is full of videos that depict accidents in which cars end up on the wrong side of tractor trailers because of a lack of attention.

Taking Responsibility

You often hear people remark, “If I’m not hurting anyone else, what difference does it make?” The truth is when a person texts and drives, he has the potential to harm anyone in his way. If it were as simple as running off the road into a ditch or tree, that might be true, but even then, there is the responsibility to family and friends who remain behind to mourn the loss.

The answer to the problem lies in each person taking personal responsibility, and it begins with a promise to NOT text and drive. Taking one’s eyes off the road for even a second can mean death for a motorist or pedestrian.