Distracted driving accounts for about 25% of all vehicle accident fatalities driver distraction accounts for over 58% of teen crashes nine people get killed daily in this country due to crashes involving distracted drivers. Distractions among young drivers are of particular concern, as the. In recent years, the growing use of mobile phones and other technologies in cars has led to increased interest in the problem of driver distraction among. Distractions are dangerous for any driver, but the risks are compounded when operating a heavy tractortrailer that takes more time to stop and is more difficult to maneuver to avoid a crash. Distracted driving is a growing problem, accounting for at least 12 percent of road crashes worldwide. On any given day in 2008, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a handheld cell phone. Distracted driving is a growing problem munley law. New handsfree technologies pose hidden dangers for drivers. Driver distraction is a growing problem in new zealand. Cell phone use while driving is comparable with driving under the influence of alcohol or cannabis. Sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. They followed the pace car more closely, were twice as likely to brake only four seconds before a collision would have occurred, and hit their brakes with 23 percent more force. The answer is stiffer fines for cell phone use texting while driving.
Distracted driving is worse than ever according to a new aaa study. Krug and pascale lanverscasasola and eug\enia rodrigues and dinesh sethi and tom shakespeare and laura a. Although cell phone use represents a relatively small part of the overall distraction problem, use among drivers is steadily growing with approximately 10 percent of drivers using some type of cell phone at any point in time. Despite laws and growing awareness, distracted driving is still prevalent. Delusional thinking while almost everyone agrees that distracted driving is a problem, very few drivers think that theyre the problem. The problem has become so bad that many states have come forward with laws attempting to alleviate or limit the growing. With more and more people owning mobile phones, and the rapid introduction of new invehicle communication systems, this problem is likely to escalate globally in the coming years. In addition, 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading text messages on their cell. Nocell effectively mitigates cell phone usage while driving and enforces compliance with your corporate safety policy. Distracted driving fort worth truck accident lawyer. But personality and gender may play a role, too, researchers say. Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction.
This report focuses on the use of mobile phones while driving as one example of the broader. Whatever the cause of the distraction, the consequences for drivers can be serious. The problem is there are many police officers who text while driving, so they dont bother other drivers while they text. This increased risk appears to be similar for both handheld and handsfree phones, suggesting that it is the cognitive executive summary mobile phone use. Distracted driving is a complicated issue and must be approached through multiple channels. Distracted driving a rapidly growing problem in pennsylvania. The massive increase in voiceactivated technologies in cars and phones represents a growing safety problem for drivers. Enacting laws banning the use of cell phones and increasing the penalties for violators will deter some, but not all drivers. Driving is the first true taste of freedom for many teenagers.
Distracted driving is a growing problem, some people even call it the new drunk driving, 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving. In a recent study, nsc conservatively estimated 21% of crashes, or 1. Fleet drivers, for example, might be distracted by their navigation devices, or by communication with the office or customers, eating and drinking, trying to look at customer orders, responding to requests, etc. According to the national highway traffic safety administration, distracted driving, where the drivers attention is focused on an activity other than the road ahead, is a growing problem. Distracted driving motor vehicle safety cdc injury center. We wanted to develop workload measures relevant to safety that could be used to evaluate distractions associated with various invehicle devices. This serious problem is compounded exponentially when drivers are texting or otherwise distracted, and as a result, have even less aware of motorcycles in the roadway. Understanding the effects of distracted driving and. These shocking statistics reflect a growing problem in the trucking industry. Safety administration driver distraction is a factor in 80% of crashes.
Distracted driving is when a driver s attention is diverted by the use of a cell phone, texting, adjusting the radio or the navigation system, or looking at an accident site. Distracted driving claimed 3,450 lives in 2016, and 391,000 individuals were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015, according to nhtsa. Even simple cell phone conversations can cause distracted driving. Nhtsa leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. The main interest of our truck driver workload study 19921995, published in 1995, which used professional truck drivers ontheroad, was whether driver workload could be used to measure distraction. Each year a staggering number of serious crashes are caused by drivers using their cell phones behind the wheel. Mother of boy killed in distracted driving accident hopes. Continued driver education and awareness are vital tools in changing drivers behaviors. Distracted driving is a growing problemnocell can help protect your employees, company and assets. In 2007, washington became just the first state to ban texting while driving. And, more and more businesses expect their employees to be accessible via cell or smart phone at all times. Distracted driving is an increasingly serious problem in america, and teen drivers are some of the most susceptible to its dangers.
Distracted driving is a serious and growing threat to road safety. Distracted driving is a problem for all drivers and one that public safety agencies must address as well. Teens and the growing problem of texting while driving truemotion. Each time you take your focus off of the road, even for a second, you are putting your life and the lives of others in danger. Cell phonerelated driving deaths on the rise govt study. A simulator study found that cell phone use while driving might be as or more dangerous than driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit. Distracted driving texting while driving is a growing. Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 2,841 lives in 2018 alone. While the body of research looking at the risk associated with. Adults and cell phone distractions pew research center. The increasing use of cellular phones has served as a catalyst for growing interest in driver distraction in recent years. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others. Adults are just as likely as teens to have texted while driving and are substantially more likely to have talked on the phone while driving.
Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. Researchers have found listening on the phone while driving creates a lag in the mind to extract itself from one object before fixing attention on another object. Distracted driving is a growing and fatal problem nearly everyone agrees that texting and driving is dangerous, yet an overwhelming number of drivers continue to do it. Distracted driving is a growing problem the national safety council estimates that 25% of crashes involve cell phones. Not only do distracted drivers have reduced reaction times, but they are also less aware of what is around them. National highway traffic safety administration nhtsa research shows that nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured. Cell phone use and distracted driving begins in the mind. Some distractions, like texting while driving, include visual, manual and cognitive distraction, those distractions are extremely dangerous. Distracted driving a growing problem, aaa study shows. What is driver distraction and how can it be defined. Distracted driving archived discussion room ask fairfax. In other words, even with increasing fines, demerit points and police ramping up efforts to combat the issue, distracted driving is a growing problem. Uhp conducts distracted driving operation dps news. May 9, 2011 auto insurance, auto safety tips, business insurance, insurance education.
Get the facts, get involved, and help us keep americas roads safe. And, as mobile technology continues to proliferate, driver distractions grow as well. The statistics prove that it is a growing problem and that it has a serious impact on everyone. Across the roads in the united states, distracted drivers continue to cause accidents each year when they take their eyes off the road, use their cell phone, or let their mind wander. The pennsylvania department of transportation penndot says anything that causes you to either take your attention away from driving, take your eyes off of the road, or take your hands off of the wheel is a distraction. The significant increase in cellular phone use has served as the catalyst for the growing interest and overall problem of driver distractions. Young men, frequent drivers most likely to get distracted. With more and more people owning mobile phones, and the rapid introduction. Mobile phone use while driving is common but it is widely considered dangerous due to its. Distracted driving is a growing problem on roadways around the country, and pennsylvania is considering adding tougher penalties for using handheld devices while operating a vehicle. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation systemanything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving. Evidence shows that the distraction caused by mobile phones can impair driving performance in a number of ways, e. Of those 995 were considered to be killed by drivers distracted by cell phones. Using cell phones or smartphones while driving is common practice today, for both personal and business use.
America and the rest of the world have a growing problem. Distracted driving is an ever growing problem even though everyone is aware of its consequences. It found the number of people texting, calling or falling asleep at the wheel has doubled over the past few years. The authors expressed concern that misclassification of phone call and cell phone usage is due to reporting errors of the exact time of the collisions. Distracted driving is a growing problem in illinois and across the country as drivers are tempted by their cell phones, to take their attention off the road. Distracted driving and safety essay 877 words cram.
Drivers using handheld or hands free cell phones are 4 times as likely to crash, according to the national safety council. Distracted pedestrians are becoming more prone to accidents on the road, resulting in serious injuries and even death. To study the magnitude of the problem of driver distraction, information is required about the prevalence of distracting activities while driving and the risks associated with these activities. Cell phones have become increasingly important fixtures in americans.
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