Texting and driving have been a rising issue for a long time, and as technology continues to advance, the number of distractions available to drivers has only increased. On the Mercer Campus, many students struggle to stay focused on the road.
This is due to the temptation of their devices. Despite the known dangers, this behavior is still common among young drivers, particularly those who feel a constant need to stay connected.
In a survey of 38 students at Mercer, 84 percent say they text and drive at some point, with 17 percent saying they do it almost all the time.
Twenty-five percent say they only text at red lights.
Sergeant Kevin Loretucci from the Windsor police department says, “Everyone goes to the red light and looks down at their phone for whatever reason, even though they looked at it 20 seconds earlier.”
Chief Robert Garofalo adds, ” The next thing you know, someone’s beeping the horn behind you because you’re sitting at a green light and not paying attention. You’ve lost track of time and what you’re doing.”
As mentioned, many students attempt to justify their behavior by limiting their phone use to moments when they have stopped at a light. However, even this can lead to mistakes.
MCCC’s Assistant to Dean of Math, Science and Health Professions Nicole Killian says, “Anything that’s distracting you from the road in that millisecond that you’re looking away, a kid can run out in front of your car with a ball or the driver in front of you can slam on their brakes and you don’t see this.”
Of the surveyed students who said they text and drive 66 percent said they do it for personal connection, feeling the need to respond to friends or family members right away. Thirty-seven percent of students who say they text while driving because it feels urgent, have the feeling of pressure to constantly be available for those reach them over text
An anonymous student says, “I know it’s dangerous, but I often feel like I have to respond right away. If I don’t, I feel like they’ll wonder why I’m taking so long to reply.”
Other reasons students give for texting and driving include distracting from boredom, or for work or school purposes.
Even with hands-free options, Chief Garofalo says, “It is extremely helpful to not be holding a cell phone in your hand and put it up to your ear, but the fact that you’re sitting out there and you’re having a conversation, you can see when people talk, they just forget what they’re doing.”
Using devices while driving comes with more consequences, on top of accidents, there are penalties involved.
Sergeant Loretucci says “For the first offense, the fine ranges from $200 to $400. A second offense can range from $400 to $600, and by the third offense, it’s $600 to $800, plus three motor vehicle penalty points.”
Despite the dangers and the penalties, the habit still continues. The New Jersey Office of Attorney General article says “In 2022, 49 percent of drivers involved in crashes in New Jersey were engaged in a distracted behavior, resulting in 180 fatalities and over 1,500 serious injuries. In 2023, the distracted driving mobilization yielded 7,130 citations for cell phone use or texting and almost 4,001 for careless driving.”
There are efforts in place to raise awareness, such as the “You Text, You Pay” campaign run by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety and awarded over 1.2 million grants to 157 law enforcement agencies. The fundings are used to hire more officers during the time of the campaign to enforce the law on distracted driving and reduce these dangerous behaviors.
