The U.S. Secretary of Transportation said that reading or sending a text message takes your eyes completely off the road for about five seconds, enough time to travel the length of a football field if you’re driving on an interstate.

If there’s an emergency, and you must text or talk, turn the hazards on and pull over. You don’t want to be the next emergency.

The road safety advocates at www.textinganddrivingsafety.com gathered statistics compiled a list of striking statistics from researchers around the country explaining the danger in texting and driving.

Texting While Driving Causes:
1. 1,600,000 accidents per year ~ National Safety Council
2. 330,000 injuries per year ~ Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study
3. 11 teen deaths every day ~ Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts
4. Nearly 25% of all car accidents

Texting While Driving Is:
1. About six times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated
2. The same as driving after four beers ~ National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
3. The number one driving distraction reported by teen drivers

Texting While Driving:
1. Makes you 23 times more likely to crash ~ National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
2. Is the same as driving blind for 5 seconds at a time ~ Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
3. Takes place by 800,000 drivers at any given time across the country
4. Slows your brake reaction speed by 18% ~ Human Factors & Ergonomics Society
5. Leads to a 400% increase with eyes off the road