Text messaging leads to Mid-Missouri accident
Becky Burkhart, 28, was seriously injured Wednesday when she was hit in a rear-end collision accident by a driver who was texting behind the wheel.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Burkhart was driving southbound on Missouri Highway 5 in a 1995 Toyota when the accident occurred. Just behind her in a 1997 Ford was Teddy Newell, 29. According to the initial crash report, Newell was text messaging causing him to rear-end Burkhart's vehicle and cause major damage.
The impact of the crash was severe enough to seriously injure Burkhart, who was taken to University Hospital in Columbia. Newell was not severely injured.
If the information in the initial crash report is true, then this Missouri car accident is the result of negligent driving decisions on the part of Newell. Texting behind the wheel has become more of a problem as high-tech phones become ubiquitous among young drivers. While texting, a driver is 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident.
Because of these risk factors, legislators around the country are looking to limit the use of cell phones and text messaging behind the wheel. Missouri has already banned texting by minors while they drive and a national ban on texting for truck drivers was recently established. This trend of regulation only looks to pick up steam with the eventual total ban of texting behind the wheel for all drivers just over the horizon.
