No one would text and drive if they knew they were going to cause an accident and seriously injure — or even kill — another person. That said, while we know that distracted driving leads to a lot of accidents every year, people continue to take this risk. They often just assume that it will be someone else who crashes, not them.

Part of the equation is that people tend to think they can quickly send a short text without really putting themselves in danger. Research has shown that it often takes as long as five seconds, though. Not only is that longer than many people assume it will take, but they can drive farther — about 100 yards — than they realize.

This is why these deadly accidents keep happening. People just do not fully grasp the danger. They take risks because they don’t know just how vast those risks are. You see this time and time again as people express remorse after causing an accident. By then, though, it is too late and the damage is done.

Don’t text and drive. Put the phone down and save it for when you get home. If someone else texts you while you’re in the car, simply do not worry about responding immediately. Nothing they have to say is worth someone’s life.

At the same time, remember that you have distracted drivers on the roads around you all the time. You could get hit by any one of them, putting you in the hospital with serious injuries. If this happens, you may have a right to seek out financial compensation for your costs.