Texting as dangerous as drinking in causing the potential to crash used cars in New York

Drinking while driving poses serious consequences for drivers, but consumers looking for used cars in New York may not know that texting could pose an even greater risk of damaging their investment.

The staff at Car and Driver decided to compare the two impairments in a straight-line test on an unused runway that involved rigging a timing apparatus to a car’s brake pedal, with simulated brake signals in front of the windshield.

They then had several writers and one editor attempt to hit the brakes when the light outside turned red, some while texting and some after drinking.

Compared to being intoxicated with a .08 blood alcohol content, stopping times while texting were as slow, and reaction times were worse for older drivers who texted than those who drank.

People looking to drive safely in a used car in New York may have no idea that “texting would slow down” reaction times to such an extent, said Eddie Alterman, Editor of Car and Driver.