New York (PRWEB) July 02, 2012

4autoinsurancequote.com (http://www.4autoinsurancequote.com/), an auto insurance provider located in Manhattan, NY, released a study showing that sending text messages, or “texting”, while driving leads to increased insurance rates. The report, which is an updated version of a report they released in January 2012, shows that insurance rates are continually rising due to the increase in texting while operating a motor vehicle.

The study shows that fatal automobile accidents caused by drivers who have been “distracted by mobile phone use” has more than doubled since 2005. According to 4autoinsurancequote.com, the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA) has reported that mobile phone related accidents saw a sharp increase in frequency around 2008 (when texting became more commonplace in American society). Because of this increase, in 2009, drivers distracted by mobile phone use caused over 24,000 accidents which resulted in injuries, and over 1,000 accidents which resulted in fatalities.

4autoinsurancequote.com, in their study, discovered that while texting when driving, drivers are distracting themselves in three different ways. First of all, when drivers remove their hands from the steering wheel to text, their ability to drive safely and react quickly to events on the road is removed. Secondly, drivers become visually distracted as they need to remove their eyes from the road. Lastly, drivers are mentally distracted as their focus shifts from driving to the content of their text message.

Unfortunately, texting-while-driving is a phenomenon that does not appear to be going away anytime soon, 4autoinsurancequote.com says. The report (http://www.4autoinsurancequote.com/uncategorized/texting-while-driving-leads-to-increased-insurance-rates/) states that 10% of the driving population in the United States texts on a regular basis, and that number is increasing rapidly. In fact, over 25% of American drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 have admitted to texting and driving on a regular basis.

4AutoInsuranceQuote.com CEO James Shaffer sees the increase in awareness of the dangers of texting while driving as a good thing. He says, “At the rate texting-while-driving related accidents are increasing, it will soon become as dangerous, if not more, than drinking-while-driving. It's best to put an end to this trend while it's still young.”

Because texting and driving causes thousands of serious accidents in the United States every year, insurance companies are beginning to take texting-while-driving citations more seriously. Drivers who are issued tickets for this offense can see their insurance premiums rise drastically. 4autoinsurancequote.com has learned that the automobile insurance industry is not only raising premiums for those drivers who text behind the wheel, but that many auto insurance companies are attempting to curb the practice altogether. Many insurance providers suggest blocking text messaging services while driving by installing text-blocking apps on phones or installing sensor devices in cars that block signals on cell phones.

4AutoInsuranceQuote.com is an auto insurance company operating out of New York, NY. In operation since the summer of 2008, 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com's goal is to become the leading destination for auto insurance quotes in the United States.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9661467.htm