Florida teen drivers just embarked on the 100 deadliest days of driving (summer break)...starting with Memorial Day weekend. While car accidents involving young drivers typically increases this time of year, the odds are going even higher now that half of all teen drivers admit to sending text messages while driving. AT&T conducted a survey of teen drivers to find out how prevalent texting and driving really is. It’s part of the company’s “It Can Wait” campaign that seeks pledges from drivers not to text while driving. The vast majority of teens surveyed (89 percent) expect a reply to a text or e-mail within five minutes or less, since it’s a teen’s main method of socializing with friends these days. As part of its campaign to curb car accidents among teens and adults alike, AT&T has unveiled its DriveMode app. It provides a customizable auto-reply message notifying friends that the user is driving and will respond when it is safe. Here are some other features:

• The “Allow List” lets users select up to five contact numbers - such as roadside assistance and family members - to send and receive calls while the app is running.
• 911 is an automatically approved number and easily disalable from the home screen.
• Music and Navigation settings allow one music and one navigation app to run while AT&T DriveMode is enabled.

To show the risks of texting while driving and to honor Global Youth Traffic Safety Month this May, AT&T is launching a 30-market U.S. tour of a texting-while-driving simulator, offered by The Peers Foundation. The computerized car lets users virtually text and drive—providing a realistic but safe experience for teens to understand the dangers of texting while behind the wheel. The tour recently stopped here in South Florida including at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens. Car accidents can range from inconvenient to deadly. If you have been injured in a car accident, you need an experienced car accident attorney. Our firm has more than 25 years experience handling accident cases. Contact our Miami-Dade, Broward or West Palm Beach offices at 1-800-FL-Legal (355-3425) or go to rubensteinlaw.com.