July 28, 2009, ST. LOUIS - News that drivers are 23 times more likely to have an accident while texting is no surprise to trauma physicians and nurses at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
“We see a lot of patients involved in MVCs (motor vehicle accidents) either by texting themselves or by those who have been hit by someone else texting,” says Julie Nash, RN, manager of trauma services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “It’s very unsafe.”
The study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute monitored semi truck drivers over an 18-month period and determined the increased risk is caused by drivers looking at their phones rather than the task at hand.
“A driver’s eyes are not on the road,” says Nash. “The results are not surprising at all.”
Nash suggests those who feel the need to message someone or reply to an e-mail wait rather than perform the task while driving.
“Pull over to a safe location, don’t do it while you’re driving,” she says.