Texting has become a social norm since the early 2000s because of the popularity of smartphones. There have been many studies that have linked texting while driving to be the cause of life - threatening accidents due to driver distraction. The International Telecommunication Union states that "texting, making calls, and other interaction with in - vehicle information and communication systems while driving is a serious source of driver distraction and increases the risk of traffic accidents ''. In 2013 the National Safety Council estimated there were about 1.4 million crashes in the US involving cell phone use. Their model predicted text messaging was involved in 6 - 16 % of all car accidents in the US. In 2010, texting while driving amongst young drivers was named a disease burden and ranked 8th overall in the global years of life lost (YLL). The premature mortality of young drivers who crash as a result of distracted driving has a greater effect on YLL than most diseases do.
when did texting and driving start to become a problem
the early 2000s