No Phone Zone: Texting & Driving Put to the Test

April 29, 2010

By Michael Schwanke (WICHITA, Kan.)

Life for Melinda Thomas will never be the same.

"We look at things a whole lot differently," says Thomas at her Abilene, Kansas home. She has pain, scars and the memory of the day a texting driver ran her and her daughter off the road.

"I told my daughter he's texting, he's driving with his knees. She ended up running into the culvert."

Thomas and her daughter lived, and the driver of the other car never stopped. "I would support whatever it would take for it not to happen again," says Thomas.

In 2008 cell phones were a contributing factor in 398 crashes. One-hundred-40 people were hurt and four people died.

"Really... honestly think about what you have to live with," says Thomas.

With help from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Eyewitness News put texting and driving to the test. Using a reaction time simulator, we were able to see how texting can affect your driving.

At 60 miles an hour, just 0.1 of a second can increase your stopping distance by eight or nine feet. One second increases the distance by 88 feet. "It's the difference between hitting a vehicle and not hitting a vehicle," says Trooper Gary Warner.

During our reaction test, we found delays of 0.2 seconds or more when texting. "It's a really a good example of demonstrating your reaction time," says Warner. But he says keep in mind; we knew we were taking a test.

We also tested someone who texts all the time. "I probably send a good 3,000 to 4,000 texts a month," says 20-year-old Veronica Hill. Hills reaction time was still slower. It was affected enough to increase her stopping distance by about 10 feet. But is it enough to convince hill to give up texting and driving?

"That would be difficult. I could be getting the text of the century and not be able to answer it," Hill says with a smile. "I want to be a good driver I don't want to hurt anyone else, but I'm pretty attached to this thing."

Melinda Thomas doesn't need a test to convince her of the dangers. She will continue to push for new texting and driving laws. She says don't wait until it's too late to make a change in your driving habits. "You have to live with that."

|

|

|