A 19 year-old Georgia man was sentenced to two years of confinement this week, after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide in the wake of an accident that took the life of a 6 year-old boy.

The fatal accident occurred on the evening of December 23. According to his plea, the young man lost control of his vehicle, over-corrected and then crossed the center line. He slammed head-on into a vehicle that was carrying the 6 year-old boy, along with both of the boy's parents and his sister.

Although the boy's mother and sister have fully recovered, his father is still unable to walk.

The driver will serve his sentence in a "boot camp" type program at a Georgia Probation Detention Center.

Texting While Driving a Major Problem

Authorities suspect the accident may have been caused by texting while driving. Although the driver denied using his cellphone prior to the accident, police believe that he may have lost control of his vehicle because he was sending text messages.

Sadly, texting while driving is a major problem in Georgia. According to a 2008 study, Georgia ranks number three in the nation for drivers who text behind the wheel. In that study, a full 37 percent of drivers admitted to texting while driving.

Most of these respondents were younger drivers. Many are so accustomed to texting, and so new at driving, that they don't realize how dangerous the behavior really is.

The statistics, though, show texting's true danger. Texting while driving creates a crash risk that is 23 times higher than driving without distraction. At highway speeds, sending a text message takes a driver's eyes off the road for a distance equivalent to the length of an entire football field.

Indeed, using a cellphone while driving damages a driver's focus and reaction time as much as having a 0.08 blood alcohol level.

Hopefully, Georgians will begin to realize these dangers and will change their behavior. Only then will the tragic accidents stop.

Source: The Daily Citizen, "Teen Pleads Guilty in Fatal Wreck, Burglary Cases," Mark Millican, Feb. 18, 2012.