Texting and Driving: A Crash Course [INFOGRAPHIC]

Texting and driving a car at the same time is a dangerous and irresponsible combination -- but people do it anyway. A series of sparse, haunting public service ads from AT&T provides a spooky reminder that even sending or receiving short messages can lead to death or lifelong crippling injury.

The numbers back this up, too. Results vary, but some studies have found that upwards of 20% of all car accidents involve cellphone use of some kind. That can total more than a million collisions per year that might have been avoided without cellphones involved.

A government report from 2009, meanwhile, found that texting makes a car crash a whopping 23 times more likely than if drivers were simply focused on the road.

Other studies have reported equally disturbing results, but states are fighting back by passing laws that prohibit talking and texting on cellphones while behind the wheel. Still, laws can only go so far and people continue to text and drive.

The Internet education portal OnlineSchools.com recently rounded up findings and reports from sources including the The Washington Post, the Governors Highway Safety Association, Virginia Tech University and others to produce the infographic below. Check it out for a rundown on how much people text and drive, and let us know in the comments -- why do you think people continue doing something that clearly puts their own lives and those of others at serious risk?

[img src="http://www.onlineschools.com/imagesvr_ce/364/intexticated-teens.jpg" caption="" credit="" alt="DWI: Driving While Intexticated"]
Courtesy of: Online Schools