Texting and driving is legally prohibited in Maryland, along with most other states. Police officers hand out citations. Parents tell their teenagers not to text and drive. Driver’s ed instructors talk about the dangers of distraction behind the wheel.
However, the statistics show that distracted driving accidents still happen at a significant rate and haven’t really declined since these changes were made. Why is it that people are still texting and driving, even though it has clearly been linked to accidents and made illegal within the state?
It can be addictive
One potential reason is that people are actually suffering from a form of mild addiction. As with any other addiction, this can cause them to make dangerous decisions that are not otherwise rational. Someone may set out with the goal of staying off of their phone while they drive, but they will pick it up as soon as it rings.
They think it won’t happen to them
Another issue is just the way that people view this problem. The stats clearly show that it’s dangerous, but many people believe that they are good enough drivers that they won’t crash or that the statistics only really pertain to someone else. Additionally, it is fairly easy to text and drive without drawing attention to it, so people will think that they can hide what they’re doing and that they’re not really risking any sort of citation.
Unfortunately, all of this works together to mean that distracted driving accidents are likely not going to end anytime soon. Those who have been injured by negligent drivers need to know what options they have to seek compensation.