You Might Want to Look in the Mirror!

Why? Because according to this Wired article, 46% of all under 24yo drivers text at the wheel with thier cell phone/pda. So if the kid in the mirror has peach fuzz on his face you can figure that you have a 50/50 chance he is a distracted driver.

And that can result in a suspended license and prob8n. OMG.

Even if you’re in one of four states that ban texting while driving (or one of the 33 trying to), drivers who were distracted by phone messaging when they plowed into the back of the car in front of them can be nailed for negligent or reckless conduct, and that can be enough to get your license pulled.

The demographic breakdown of the survey isn’t particularly surprising, considering it mirrors the adoption of texting in general. A study last year by the Automobile Association of America found 46 percent of kids aged 16 and 17 text behind the wheel. Combine those stats with the invincibility complex every kid has and it’s a wonder more states haven’t taken action. Luckily, texting while driving in the AARP crowd is nearly nonexistent: We’d be terrified to get a text from grandma asking, “whch 1 iz D br8k?”

FindLaw’s stats probably understate the scope of the problem because any survey that tracks socially undesirable behavior will suffer from some bias. We can’t imagine a teenager answering a telephone survey with his mom in the next room is going to say, “Yeah, I text all the time when I’m driving — especially when I’ve got a Bud Light in the cup holder and I’m watching a DVD on my hacked AVIC-N3.” Let’s just hope that Barack Obama isn’t behind the wheel when he texts supporters the name of his running m8.

Personally I still don’t understand the fascination with textng. It takes longer to do than doing a speed dial. But hey every generation has its set of cultural markers to live by. Texting is just one of them. But mixing that with driving? Suspending license is too good. The authorities ought to go for revocation. Texting is a certain distraction. More so than just talking on the cell.

But hey you have been warned! Watch that mirror!