Police cite crash as example of texting while driving dangers

Driver crashed into tree

MIDDLETON, Wis. — Middleton police are pointing to a crash early Sunday morning as an example of the dangers of texting while driving.

Officers were called to Nursery Drive near Forsythia Street at 12:10 a.m. for a report of a car that crashed into a tree.

Police said an 18-year-old Milton woman was driving north on Nursery Drive when she looked down at her phone to send a text message, crossed into the oncoming traffic lane, went off the road and crashed into a tree. The woman was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured, but the car was severely damaged.

She was cited for texting while driving and driving without insurance.

Police said the crash serves as a reminder of the dangers of texting while driving and distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 421,000 people were injured in distracted driver crashes; a 9 percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011.