Texting while driving certainly isn’t a skill, unless you consider driving dangerously or recklessly a skill. But according to a new study, younger drivers may actually be “better” at texting while driving than their middle-aged counterparts.
The study looked at many driver from age 18 to 59 and exhibited how they performed when they were forced to text while behind the wheel of a car. The results were as you would expect: many people ended up driving their vehicle out of the lane and into dangerous territory. But one figure stood out: while only about 25 percent of teen drivers led their vehicle into another lane while texting, “virtually 100 percent” of texting middle-aged drivers did.
Whether this speaks to a generational gap (i.e. younger people are more “in tune” with technology and, thus, are better able to multi-task) or something else entirely is still being debated, but what is certain is that this study shows that texting while driving is dangerous regardless of your age.
Being able to text and drive with less frequent lane departures is not a “skill” or something that should be celebrated. Texting while driving shouldn’t even happen in the first place. It doesn’t matter how “well” you may do it.
If you cause an accident and it is discovered (and able to be proven) that you were texting while driving, then you could be held liable for the damages involved in the wreck. In that context, your “skills” won’t be able to save you from anything.
Source: thenewsstar.com, “Study shows middle-aged worse at texting while driving,” Alan Mozes, Jan. 11, 2015