In Massachusetts, a teenager was sentenced to spend a year in jail for causing a fatal traffic accident that happened while he was texting. Aaron Deveau of Haverhill was sentenced to 2 1/2 years behind bars with a year to serve and the remainder suspended for the February 2011 crash that took the life of Donald Bowley Jr., 55, of Danville, N.H., and seriously injured Donald Bowley’s girlfriend.

Texas college student Chance Bothe’s last words prior to driving his truck off a cliff were in the a text message, “I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident.”He miraculously survived, but Bothe’s story has become an example of the dangers of texting while driving.

Aftermath photo of commuter train accident causing 132 injuries & 25 deaths including the conductor who was in the middle of sending receiving 40 texts and missed a red light signal.

o About 6,000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year. o While teenagers are texting, they spend about 10 percent of the time outside the driving lane they’re supposed to be in. o Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70- year-old. o Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field.

o Of all cell phone related tasks – including talking, dialing, or reaching for the phone – texting while driving is the most dangerous. o Teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near crash events directly related to talking on a cell phone or texting. o A car driver dialing a cell phone is 2.8 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-distracted driver. o A driver reaching for a cell phone or any other electronic device is 1.4 times more likely to experience a car crash. o A car driver talking on their phone is 1.3 times more likely to get into an accident.

Every since the accident involving my cousin, I’ve joined the fight against texting while driving. People should understand texting and driving is irresponsible and puts not only their own lives, but lives of others in danger. No more lives should be taken because of the senseless act. Americans should step up to the plate and make roads safer. Sign, Larraneka Joyce

o "Cell Phone & Texting Accident Statistics." Edgarsnyder.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec o "Accidents Caused By Texting While Driving." - Don't Text and Drive! N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec o "Metro." BostonGlobe.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec o "Man Drives off Cliff While Texting." HLNtv.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec

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