It was normal for people to drive drunk and not bother to wear a seatbelt 50 years ago.
Eventually, everyone realized how bad of an idea this was and now driving drunk and not wearing a seatbelt are both illegal.
Today, many argue that texting while driving is just as bad, if not worse, than driving drunk.
Back in 2006, the University of Utah found that, "... people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit" of 0.08 percent, which is the minimum level that defines illegal drunken driving in most U.S. states.
Companies like AT&T have created campaigns that encourage cell phone users to avoid texting while driving at all costs.
Using a cell phone while driving is now illegal in certain states across the country. "Thirty-eight states have laws restricting or outlawing the use of electronic devices while driving," U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood said last year. But people still use their cell phones while driving.
The next time you get in a car, remember these nine people who lost their lives because of texting while driving.
Eric Okerblom, a natural athlete, completed his first bike marathon when he was just 16 years old ... One summer day, Eric Okerblom set out on a bike ride ...
"On a road not far from his home near Santa Maria, California, Eric was killed when a teen driver traveling at 60 miles per hour struck his bike with her truck," the U.S. Department Transportation blog Fastlane explains.
Eric was struck and killed by a distracted teenage driver who neither swerved nor braked.
It was later revealed by the driver's cell phone records that she was texting just before the crash.
Source: Fastlane
Taylor Sauer was sending messages every 90 seconds while going 80 mph on an Idaho highway last year ...
Sauer was an 18-year-old college student. Sauer was driving 80 mph from Utah to Idaho to visit her parents.
Her last status update, "I can't discuss this now. Driving and facebooking is not safe! Haha."
Moments after this update was posted, she crashed her car into a tanker truck that was going 15 mph up a hill and was killed instantly.
Source: Today
Calli Ann Murray (pictured) and her mom, Ling were heading home from a play date ...
On Dec. 1, 2010, two-year-old Calli Ann Murray and her mother were walking home from playing at a local park. The two reached an intersection and as they began to cross hand-in-hand, a young driver texting on her cell phone barreled down the street.
"With her attention on her phone instead of the road, the driver struck Calli and Ling with her car," the U.S. Department of Transportation's blog Fastlane explains.
Calli was gone. Ling was critically injured.
Source: Fastlane
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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