When it comes to driving long miles on the highway, few road warriors have more experience than America’s truck drivers. As they cross the United States from coast to coast, they witness people of all walks of life and in all sorts of driving conditions, which often says a lot about humanity.
Recently, a driver sat down with a Utah newspaper to discuss some of the pitfalls of driving on a daily basis, and the things for which truckers should be on a lookout. Among the things he listed, such as trucks driving differently than cars and learning to obey traffic laws properly, he named texting habits of other drivers as one of his chief concerns when on the road.
He’s not wrong.
In fact, texting while driving (or driving while distracted with a mobile device) has become an enormous problem around the world, in some cases becoming a more significant issue than drinking and driving. Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be in an accident than an attentive driver. This is a particular problem for younger, less experienced drivers who also tend to be more active on their mobile devices. An amazing 82 percent of drivers age 16-17 have a cell phone, with 34 percent admitting that they text and drive. (Of course, the real number may be far higher.)
At the end of the day, there’s not a lot drivers can do to make other drivers be more alert while operating their vehicles. But it is all the more reason for truck drivers to be cautious and to keep their eyes peeled.