Why do conduction electrons in a metal acquire a steady average drift velocity even though the applied electric field continuously exerts a force on them?

1. The field does accelerate each electron, increasing its drift speed. 2. But each electron soon collides with a positive ion and loses that gained drift speed. 3. It then accelerates again until the next collision, and so on. 4. Averaged over many collisions, electrons acquire only a steady drift speed, so B is correct; the field is non-zero (A wrong) and drift speed is far below thermal speed (D wrong). _Source: NCERT Class 12 Physics Ch 3 "Current Electricity", p.7_