What’s more dangerous than driving while intoxicated? According to a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting while driving is. Yes, that is right – using your PDA (personal digital assistant) while operating your car makes you an alarming 25% more likely to be at risk of being involved in a deadly accident. With statistics like those, who needs any other reason to put their Blackberry down and just drive?

Over the past several years, New York Auto Insurance companies studies have shown the increasing popularity of handheld communication devices like Blackberries and iPhones has made texting while drive not only easily accessible but also all too commonplace. Odds are you have either done it yourself or witnessed others texting most every single time you get behind the wheel of your car. How many times have you pulled up to a stoplight and looked over to the car beside you and seen the driver texting away?

Texting while driving is now illegal in 14 states and in Washington, D.C. and other states are not far behind in passing such legislation. For NY They also joined the club and passed the New York Texting Law . The increased risk associated with this deadly combination is not only frightening for most drivers but it is also helping to make premiums more expensive than they have to be. Insurance companies need to absorb the liability and the cost is passed along to drivers, whether they text and drive or not.

Though passing legislation to prohibit this dangerous behavior is a step in the right direction, drivers need to understand that they have a personal responsibility to do the right thing. Just as you may choose to drive at excessive speeds or run a stoplight, you may choose to continue to text and drive. Before you make such a decision, consider all the lives you put at risk.

For example, recently in New York State, five teenagers that had all recently graduated from high school were headed out for a road trip to one of the teen’s vacation home. They had their entire lives ahead of them and each were slated to attend college that fall. All their hopes and dreams were cut short in an instant when the collided head on with a tractor trailer and they were all killed instantly. The cause? Texting and driving. Unfortunately, accidents like this are becoming all too common and recent statistics have shown that nearly half of all teens text while driving and more than half talk on their cell phones while operating a motor vehicle.

New York Auto Insurance companies want you to know that texting and driving is a lethal combination. Whether it is illegal in your state or not, be a responsible driver and put your PDA down and concentrate on driving. Your life and the lives around you depend on it.

Tags: General New York Insurance Topics, New York Auto Insurance, New York Car Insurance, New York Texting Law