The article linked below, which was tweeted by the National Safety Council, is an excellent summary of the risks involved when drivers start send or read text messages while their foot is on the brake and the vehicle is stopped. The problems include not paying attention to when it is safe to proceed, slow starts that congest traffic and annoy other drivers, failures to perceive changes in the traffic situations while looking at the cell phone, and going forward without taking the time to view and comprehend the surrounding traffic.

This article is an important reminder for parents of teen drivers, that their warnings about, and steps to prevent, texting need to include whenever the car is not in Park. Parent-teen driving agreements need to make this clear: no use of any electronic device that could be a distraction “when the car is not in Park.” Here is the link:

http://www.prospectusnews.com/texting-at-stoplight-an-accident-waiting-to-happen-1.3125782#.UqCRL6U31a8