Final answer:
Evidence shows that texting while driving can significantly slow down a driver's reaction time due to the habitual nature of phone use and how it distracts from driving. Studies link increased traffic violations to cell phone usage while driving, supporting the claim that texting impairs driving performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the impact of texting on a driver's reaction time. To support the claim that texting while driving can slow down a driver's reaction, evidence from the provided texts suggests that drivers' reactions are negatively affected while texting due to powerful event schemata.
The studies mentioned, such as the one by Bayer & Campbell (2012), highlight the habitual nature of checking phones and how it can make refraining from this habit while driving particularly challenging.
Additionally, the hypothetical data on speeding violations suggest there could be a correlation between cell phone usage while driving and increased incidences of traffic violations, further supporting the idea that texting while driving can have negative effects on driving performance.
An example to illustrate this would be a driver who is texting and takes a considerable amount of time to respond to a leading car hitting the brakes. This delay in reaction could increase the risk of an accident.
While the specific number of seconds it takes for a driver to respond was not provided, studies generally show that reaction times are slower when a driver is distracted by texting compared to when they are solely focused on driving.