Texting While Driving Dangerous at Any Age

Another cautionary tale about texting while driving, this one from the UK. A 19-year-old British woman was sentenced to serve four years for causing death by dangerous driving. She used her cell phone nine times in 15 minutes, talking and sending and reading text messages, while driving 70 mph at night in the rain near Newcastle.

At the end of the 15 minutes, the young driver, Rachel Begg, who had her license for only 18 months, rear-ended a 64-year-old grandmother, Maureen Waites. Waites' car careened off the road into a barrier and she was killed.

Teens' reliance on text messaging adds a scary twist to the new driver experience. Motor vehicle crashes are already the leading cause of death for teens, and the risk of automobile crashes is higher among 16-19 year olds than any other age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control. (See more stats here.) The adoption of graduated drivers' licensing programs seems to being making a positive difference, but with texting while driving entering the picture, you've got to wonder if the safety gains will be limited.

Read through the hundreds of responses to my post on Safeco's Teensurance tracking system for new drivers and it's clear this is something we're giving a lot of thought. Many readers noted that the Teensurance GPS unit, which allows parents and teens to set speed, distance and time limitations (and be notified if and when they are surpassed), will not identify if a driver is talking or texting on a phone. Or, for that matter, if they are speeding on low-mph roads.

The pull between privacy and safety is what we have to sort through when deciding whether these kinds of units will actually help young drivers modify their driving habits, or if they will serve more to provide insurance companies and law enforcement agencies with information that could lead to higher premiums and difficult-to-defend court cases.

The comment thread is compelling reading: One 35-year-old reader says she is in favor of a tracking system since she lost four friends as a teenager to accidents involving speeding, drag racing, and playing chicken. A mom writes about her 17-year-old daughter, a responsible honors student who pays for her part of the insurance and gas usage and who had never received a speeding ticket or moving violation before she lost control of her car going 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, spun out, and flipped the car. She and a friend were not seriously injured since they were wearing seat belts, but her mom says the next car will have a VehiclePath system to help prevent similar accidents.

Then there's this forceful perspective that warns tracking systems will scare teens into driving slower. "Then as soon as they are on their own they will drive even crazier because they never had the chance to live a little and have some fun. Why doesn't someone just invent a nanny robot you can throw in the back seat? That way every time the car goes too fast it can yell in your ear as well."

LINK: UK Woman Kills Grandmother While Texting at 70mph [Wired gadget lab]

Related: Teensurance Tracks Teens on the Road