RAC: Text-driving 'bigger risk than drink-driving' for young motorists

Reaction times were severely impaired in a test of young drivers carried out for the RAC Foundation.

The overall driving performance, including steering and keeping a safe distance from other vehicles, was poor among the 17-24 year olds tested by the TRL transport research laboratory.

Warning: Texting while driving is a bigger danger to young motorists than drink-driving, a study claims

Using a driver simulator, the young motorists carried out driving skills while writing, reading and ignoring text messages.

For those engaged in texting:

• Reaction times deteriorated by 35%. This was worse than alcohol at the legal limit (12% slower) and driving under the influence of cannabis (21% slower)
• Drivers drifted out of their lane more often. Steering control was 91% worse, compared to 35% worse when under the influence of cannabis
• The ability to maintain a safe following distance fell.

Comparing the level of distraction caused by texting to previous TRL studies into the impairment effects of drugs, alcohol (at the legal limit) and speaking on a mobile, the report concluded that texting had the greatest impact on lane positioning and the second greatest impact on reaction times, second only to using a hand-held phone.

This made texting while driving more risky than driving while on drugs or under the influence of alcohol.

TRL said: 'The combination of increased mental workload required to write a text message, the control impairment caused by the physical act of holding the phone, and the visual impairment caused by continually shifting visual orientation between the phone display and the road ahead resulted in significantly impaired ability to maintain safe road position.'

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: 'The participants in this study were almost unanimous in their view that drink-driving was the most dangerous action on the road.

'Yet this research clearly shows that a motorist who is texting is significantly more impaired than a motorist at the legal limit for alcohol.

'No responsible motorist would drink and drive. We need to ensure that text devotees understand that texting is one of the most hazardous things that can be done while in charge of a motor car.'

Dr Nick Reed, senior human factors researcher at TRL, said: 'This research demonstrates how dangerous it is to drive and text.

'When texting, drivers are distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone, by trying to read small text on the phone display, and by thinking about how to write their message.

'This combination of factors resulted in the impairments to reaction time and vehicle control that place the driver at a greater risk than having consumed alcohol to the legal limit for driving.'