VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) - Texting behind the wheel can take a driver's eyes and attention off the road. Valdosta State University held an event Tuesday to help students simulate how one text message can change a driver's journey.
The event was hosted by VSU's Office of Health Promotions at the Pedestrian Mall in front Odum Library.
VSU says that sending or receiving text messages can take a driver's eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, which is an equivalent of driving the entire length of a football field at 55 miles per hour blind.
The school also says that driving while distracted creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while not distracted.
VSU students were able to use a texting simulator in order to experience how this can be distracting for drivers.
Holly Wright, a staff counselor and outreach coordinator with the university Counseling Center, says that "Most students are quite efficient at texting. However, with help from the texting simulator, they realize that they are not so efficient at texting while driving, which comes as a surprise to most students."
