For drivers on the road, distracted driving is the newest worry. The belief is that teen drivers are the ultimate distracted drivers, but new studies are showing exactly the opposite. Between texting, phone calls and having the internet in their hands, adults are really probably the most distracted drivers on the road. What is the real risk?
Post resource: Realities of distracted driving – Drunk doesn’t begin to cover it by Car Deal Expert
Who’s the person who drives distracted usually?
A recent poll from the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that adults are usually probably the most distracted drivers; 47 percent of adults say that they have sent text messages while driving. A full 75 percent of adults use their cell phones when they’re driving, when only 52 percent of 16 and 17-year-olds do. On top of that, more than 40 percent of individuals say they have been in a vehicle where someone else’s cell phone use has put them in significant danger.
Effects of distracted driving
Most drivers know that driving distracted is a bad idea. A University of Utah study came up with scary results. Driving with a .08 blood alcohol level the risk of a crash by four times. Driving when texting, though, has been shown to increase the chance of a crash by up to eight times. Driving distracted is twice as dangerous as driving drunk.
Distracted driving and the laws
Numerous states have passed laws against distracted driving. There are eight states that restrict handheld cell phones during driving; 29 states ban “novice drivers,” and 18 states ban bus drivers from using their cell phones while driving. Texting when driving was banned by thirty states. There is a list of cell phone bans on the Governors Highway Safety Association site.
Discover more data:
Pew Internet and American Life Project
pewinternet.org/
University of Utah
psych.utah.edu/lab/appliedcognition/
Governors Highway Safety Association website
ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
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