A personal injury lawyer knows talking on your cell phone or using other electronic devices while you are driving is extremely dangerous.
While a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study discussed some of the risks associated with driving distracted, the study seemed to downplay the impact that distraction can have on traffic collision rates. The National Safety Council responded to the IIHS study with a warning to motorists not to underestimate the true dangers of distracted driving.
Most motorists know it is risky to drive while talking on their phones, but unfortunately drivers choose to continue to engage in this behavior anyway. As evidence mounts suggesting it is highly dangerous to drive while distracted, it is very important to recommit to always keeping your focus 100 percent on the road while behind the wheel.
Driving Distracted is Very Dangerous
IISH collaborated with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to assess the impact of talking on cell phones or manipulating handheld devices. The focus of the study was not on texting drivers or drivers using the Internet. The study solely analyzed the effect of drivers talking on phones. The researchers used a naturalistic driving study to demonstrate how much of a driver’s focus was diverted by using cell phones and what the impact of cell phone use was on the risk of collision.
According to the naturalistic driving test, a driver who was dialing, answering a phone call or reaching for a phone had almost three times the risk of getting into an accident as compared with a driver focused on the road. The risk of a crash was also 17 percent greater when a motorist was just talking on the phone.
In total, interacting with a cell phone took up around 12 percent of drive time, according to IIHS. The report also showed when a driver was using a phone, reaction times were slower and drivers experienced inattention blindness, meaning even when drivers saw object in the path ahead, the brain did not fully process the visual.
While these findings reiterated the risks associated with driving distracted, some components of the report seemed to downplay the tremendous dangers known to be associated with driving distracted. For example, the report stated the use of phones by drivers was leveling off and the number of U.S. motor vehicle collision fatalities has fallen dramatically during the very same time period when the number of motorists texting has increased.
As the National Safety Council cautions, however, the fact that accident deaths have fallen is not indicative of texting becoming safer. Instead, the death toll has declined simply because motor vehicle safety technology has improved. The NSC also pointed out the limits of the report, including the conclusion only 12 percent of crashes involved distracted driving in 2012. This may be an underestimate because many people who are using phones at the time of a collision don’t report the phone use.
It is important for consumers to recognize driving while on a phone really is extremely dangerous. It should never be done under any circumstances.
Knoxville accident lawyer can help collision victims. Contact G. Turner Howard III, Attorney at Law at (844) G3-Help-Me or 865-558-8030.
