Why Do People Text and Drive?

Think about this for a second: would you ever purposefully endanger your life and the lives of others? For the majority of humans, the answer is obvious. Of course you wouldn’t purposefully endanger your life, let alone the lives of others.

Here’s the deal though.

That’s exactly what you’re doing when you text and drive.

So why do it? Here are some of the “reasons” that people usually use to justify texting while driving.

When Everyone’s Super, No One Will Be

Go and ask all of your friends and family members how good they think they are at driving. What do you think the majority of their answers will be? You guessed it. They will most likely say that they are above average drivers.

It’s not just your friends either. The majority of drivers think that they are better drivers than most people out on the road. By definition, not everyone can be above average. So, you’re probably just as good at driving as everyone else out there on the road.

Now, if you think that you are a better driver, you probably think that you’re also better at doing other tasks while driving. We are here to tell you that you are also not very good at multitasking. As much as you think that you can, you can’t give your full attention to driving while also updating your Snapchat story or posting that cute pic on Instagram. It just doesn’t work.

We Can’t Disconnect

With our world becoming more connected than ever, there is a tendency to feel a loss when we are disconnected. Not being able to check your new feed or not being able to reply to the text message you got 3 seconds ago is a serious problem on the road.

This may be hard to believe, but your friend can wait for you to get out of the car for you to reply to their text message. There is rarely something so incredibly important that you are required to risk your life and the lives of everybody else on the road.

Trust us, you can do it. You can keep your phone down while you’re driving. It’s not as hard as it sounds.

If somebody crashes into you because of distracted driving and you need a car accident attorney, give us a call at (208) 376-5256.

About the Author

Russ earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Utah State University in 1990, followed by a Juris Doctor from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU in 1993. He was admitted to the Idaho Bar that same year and the Utah Bar in 1995. With over 25 years of experience in injury law, Russ co-founded Johnson and Lundgreen in 1998. Recognized as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, Russ is part of an elite group of fewer than ten attorneys in Idaho who have achieved this designation. The honor requires meeting stringent criteria, including completing a specific number of jury trials, earning recommendations from judges and peers, and passing a challenging written examination. Russ and his wife, Rhonda, raised five children and his niece. He values family time, often coaching and attending his children’s activities. An avid outdoorsman, Russ enjoys hunting, fishing, and working with his horses.