Texting And Driving Don't Mix

SOUTH PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER) -- Get AAA's Bill Van Tassel talking about texting and driving and you soon get the picture that the two don't mix.    

Van Tassel is the manager of AAA's Driver Training Operations and Traffic Safety Programs. 

"Some of the research looking at text messaging specifically shows that the chance of a crash or a near crash event increases by over twenty times," says Van Tassel. "Bottom line, that's a risk we don't need. Driving is already difficult enough."

NEWS CENTER, along with AAA, recently put three young people to the multi-tasking test.  Each was asked to drive through an obstacle course while texting. It was a controlled environment with an expert adult driver in the car with them.

Each of the three hit some of the cones and one of the drivers actually ran over a cone and dragged it beneath the car.

"It teaches them that texting and driving don't mix. They should be separate. And it is actually very difficult to do both well," says Van Tassel.

AAA is now pushing for legislation to ban texting while driving in all fifty states.

Pat Moody of AAA says multi-tasking behind the wheel is a recipe for disaster.

"Your mind is off the road, your eyes are off the road, your hands are off the steering wheel and the next thing you know, you're off the road," says Moody.

DVDs of this story and Mother Shares Painful Story Of Consequences Of Distracted Driving are being made available to educators through a grant from AAA. If you would like one for your organization, please contact dvdrequest@wcsh6.com.