Drinking and Driving vs Texting While Driving: Riesgos y prevención en la carretera

Drinking and Driving

Driving and drinking is among the worst habits practiced by people all over the world. People think that it is okay to drive themselves to town or even to their homes after drinking. However, this is one thing that leads to the occurrence of accidents on our roads, leading to serious consequences. Drinking and driving mostly occurs after partying with friends or even just having alcoholic drinks at the club in town. Most of the time, when someone is under the influence of alcohol, they tend to think that they are invincible. This wrong choice, however, can lead to fatal consequences and should be addressed and avoided.

Effects of Drinking and Driving

The behavior of drinking and driving may result in various negative and devastating effects. For one, it is one of the main causes of accidents. A driver under the influence of alcohol is more likely to cause a road accident compared to one driving without influence. In case of an accident, death may occur; reportedly, in many countries across the world, many deaths have occurred due to drinking and driving as a result of accidents. Those who are lucky to survive the accidents may suffer injuries, including partial or total disability. Another effect of drinking and driving is the fact that when someone is caught driving under the influence of alcohol, they get a bad record, and their reputation is ruined in a way.

Ways to Prevent Drinking and Driving

Due to the devastating effects that result from drinking and driving, it is vital to look for ways to reduce or, better yet, eliminate incidents of drinking and driving. There is a need to educate citizens about the effects and consequences of drinking and driving. This way, they understand that driving and drinking is not and should not be an option, as it can be dangerous and even fatal.

If you are at a party or a club and plan to drink alcohol, it is advisable to have a designated driver take you home. Alternatively, it would be better to take a taxi home, as this would guarantee more road safety. One can also decide to spend the night in town or wherever they are partying, as this would be safer than drinking and later driving home. Strict laws should be enforced in every country against drinking and driving.

Texting While Driving: A New Threat on the Road

During recent years, with the development of modern technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and other devices, many dangerous situations have been recorded. Among them is texting while driving, which is nowadays known to be one of the leading causes of road accidents. It is essential to note that, according to the latest texting and driving facts, it causes more traffic accidents than those caused by drunk drivers.

The main problem with texting while driving is that people stop looking at the road for a few seconds to write a message. During these few seconds, anything can happen, and the person may not even notice it. Research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that texting for five seconds while driving at 55 miles per hour is equivalent to driving blind for a distance equal to an American football field. That is 360 feet of blind driving without seeing what is happening in front of and behind you.

Another study by the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society shows that messaging while driving reduces a person's brake reaction by 18%. There are many recorded cases in which children running to catch a ball in the yard were killed because a driver had not noticed them and had no time to apply the brakes, as something had distracted them from the road. I am not even speaking of the numerous crashes into trees and buildings caused by writing a message to someone while driving. Safe road navigation is almost impossible if you are texting or even talking on the phone, as you do not register what is happening around you.

In my opinion, texting while driving is not a good behavior, and in numerous cases, it is fatal for the driver or an unwitting victim.

Drunk Driving vs. Texting While Driving

For decades, drunk driving has been at the forefront of debate. Stricter laws have been passed across the nation, leading to a decrease in drunk driving accidents. However, a new driving threat is quickly taking its place. That threat is texting while driving, and many say that it is actually more dangerous than drunk driving.

The behavior of drinking and driving may result in various negative and devastating effects. For one, it is one of the main causes of accidents. A driver under the influence of alcohol is more likely to cause a road accident compared to one driving without influence. In case of an accident, death may occur; reportedly, in many countries across the world, many deaths have occurred due to drinking and driving as a result of accidents. Those who are lucky to survive the accidents may suffer injuries, including partial or total disability. Another effect of drinking and driving is the fact that when someone is caught driving under the influence of alcohol, they get a bad record, and their reputation is ruined in a way.

The main problem with texting while driving is that people stop looking at the road for a few seconds to write a message. During these few seconds, anything can happen, and the person may not even notice it. Research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that texting for five seconds while driving at 55 miles per hour is equivalent to driving blind for a distance equal to an American football field. That is 360 feet of blind driving without seeing what is happening in front of and behind you.