Motorists who text while driving are more at risk than those who drink or take drugs before getting behind the wheel, a survey has shown. An RAC foundation test showed overall driving performance, including steering and keeping a safe distance from other vehicles, was poor among the 17-24 year olds who were tested. Using a driver simulator, the young motorists carried out driving skills while writing, reading and ignoring text messages. When texting while driving reaction times deteriorated by 35 per cent. This was worse than alcohol at the legal limit and driving under the influence of cannabis. TRL said: "The combination of increased mental workload required to write a text message, the control impairment caused by the physical act of holding the phone, and the visual impairment caused by continually shifting visual orientation between the phone display and the road ahead resulted in significantly impaired ability to maintain safe road position." The report concluded that texting had the greatest impact on lane positioning and the second greatest impact on reaction times, second only to using a hand-held phone. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "The participants in this study were almost unanimous in their view that drink-driving was the most dangerous action on the road. "Yet this research clearly shows that a motorist who is texting is significantly more impaired than a motorist at the legal limit for alcohol. No responsible motorist would drink and drive. We need to ensure that text devotees understand that texting is one of the most hazardous things that can be done while in charge of a motor car." Source:Yahoo