Make Room in Your Car for the “Designated Texter”

After the success of the designated driver in helping reduce the incidence of alcohol- related car accidents across the country, federal authorities are pushing for the introduction of the “designated texter” in every automobile. These texters would be especially beneficial in cars that are being operated by teen drivers, who have a much higher risk of texting while driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is leading a campaign, in which it promotes the use of the designated texter, whose job it would be to act as an extra pair of thumbs for a motorist who is itching to text.

That itch to text contributes to thousands of accidents every year, although it is hard to confirm the exact number of accidents being caused by persons who are texting while driving. That is because many states have varying laws on distracted driving. Many states do not require that motorists involved in an accident confirm if they were texting at the time.

However, every Burbank car accident lawyer agrees that texting while driving is highly distracting behavior, and seriously increases your risk of an accident. A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute rates the risks of being involved in an accident as approximately 23 times higher than for a motorist who is not texting while driving.

A study by State Farm recently found that the designated texter is already a fixture in many automobiles operated by teenagers. Teenagers, who are at a higher risk of such destructive behavior while they are driving, have taken to appointing friends in their cars, whose task is to help the teen motorist send and read and text messages. “I’ll text for you” could be the sacred mantra that helps to reduce the number of texting and while driving-related accidents involving teenage drivers.