Our Buffalo, NY car accident lawyers know that texting and driving is one of the riskiest driving behaviors you can engage in. Unfortunately, it is also a behavior that teens are very likely to do on a regular basis. As the Car Connection reported, a recent survey showed that 26 percent of teenagers read or send a text message one or more times every single time they drive. Unfortunately, these teens — like all people who text and drive — have a 23 times greater chance of becoming involved in a car wreck.

To help curb teen texting and save lives, AT&T has launched an “It Can Wait” program. Recently, Biz Journals reported that Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller will be a part of the program to help educate kids and encourage them to make smart choices about texting when behind the wheel.

Sabres Goalie To Help Teach Kids About Texting Dangers

According to the March 12 Biz Journals article, Ryan Miller was scheduled to appear at Springville-Griffith Institute High School on the 14th of March to join an 11:30 a.m. presentation. The presentation is a part of outreach efforts launched by AT&T. Miller was scheduled to discuss texting dangers.

The presentation will also include other important information for teen drivers to help drive the point home that texting and driving can be deadly. For example:

• Students will watch a 10 minute documentary called “The Last Text.” The documentary shares stories told by students who were involved in accidents as a result of texting and stories told by family members who lost loved ones in deadly texting and driving crashes.
• Students will be given the opportunity to use an online simulator to experience the dangers of texting firsthand. The online simulator includes a laptop and a wheel and pedal kit to give kids a realistic experience of a texting and driving accident in a safe environment.
• Students will also be encouraged to sign a no-texting-and-driving pledge and to share their promise with other people using the social networks Twitter and Facebook. The hope is that these pledges will make texting and driving unattractive to teenage drivers by making it seem socially unacceptable.

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller will be taking the no-texting-and-driving pledge as part of the presentation.

Keeping Kids Safe

When teens text and drive, they endanger themselves, their passengers and everyone else on the road. It is very important that teens are aware of how risky this behavior is.

As Distraction.gov indicates, texting requires you to take your eyes away from the road for 4.6 seconds, which means you could drive a whole football field with your eyes on the phone if you were going 55 mph. During this time, you could veer out of your lane, strike a pedestrian, or hit another car.

Despite the clear dangers, Distraction.gov also indicated that around 40 percent of teens had been in the car with someone who behaved dangerously with his cell phone. The problem, therefore, is far too widespread with too many teens texting and driving. Hopefully, programs like the presentation with Ryan Miller will help to curb this habit and make the roads safer for everyone.

If you’ve been injured in Buffalo or the surrounding area, contact the Law Offices of James Morris today for a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call 800-477-9044.