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Study Shows One-Fourth of Accidents from Texting and Driving

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The Governors Highway Safety Association last week released fresh new research which shows the results of distracted driving across the county. The study proves that talking and texting on cell phones while driving are accountable for almost 25 percent of all car accidents in the United States.

The information was collected from a study called “Distracted Driving: What Research Shows and What States Can Do” which state officials read over 350 documents published between the years 2000 and 2011.
The report not only defines what distracted driving actually is, but also includes discussions on how distractions can lead to fatal car accidents and adds new ways and methods of refining the law to combat the dangers of distracted driving.

“Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha said, who watched the report develop. “Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”

The study concluded that one quarter of all crashes are caused from distracted driving, and found that drivers are frequently distracted about half the time on the road. It also points out that text messaging while driving is one of the easiest and dangerous ways to get into a car crash, with talking on cell phones while driving is next in line.

The authors of the study kindly suggest that state government agencies take a variety of steps, including leveraging low-cost edge and centerline rumble strips which alert motorists when they begin to move outside their driving lane, implementing distracted driving laws and programs, monitoring the usage of cell phones while driving with new laws being enacted, and evaluating other laws and programs which could benefit the citizens and government of the U.S.

One in Five Crashes in New York Due to Distracted Driving

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In the state of New York, a new recent national campaign/study in Syracuse suggests one in five crashes is due to distracted driving.

The U.S. Department of Transportation picked up New York as one of two cities in the country to scope out distracted driving in April of 2010. This is called the DOT’s Distracted Driving Enforcement Project which includes a combination of public seminars, law enforcement crackdown, police efforts, and public awareness including speakers from insurance companies and statistics. This was a year-long project was labeled as, “Phone in one hand. Ticket in the other”, which proved that cell phone and texting usage while driving had dropped by 32 percent in Syracuse.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Barbara J. Fiala, commissioner of Department of Motor Vehicles, publically announced the results from the campaign with law enforcement officials, similar to the national “Click it or Ticket,” campaign which was used to get individuals to wear their seatbelts in the car.

“The Distracted Driving Enforcement Project was an important step in capturing the public’s attention and communicating the message that talking on a cell phone or texting while driving will not be tolerated. We are pleased to have collaborated with the many dedicated partners that helped to make this unique initiative a success,” Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Barbara J. Fiala said.

Over the course of this year-long project, more than $9,500 in tickets was issued.

Study Shows Risks of Texting While Driving, New Technology to Prevent it

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A recent study shows that cell phone use while driving increases the chance of getting into possibly fatal crashes. This study now prompts companies and safety groups, along with the U.S. government debate to have a crackdown on gadget use behind the wheel.

The Governors Highway Safety Association, otherwise known as GHSA, studied over 350 documents which reported the connection between cell phone usage and car crashes. It discovered a link between texting and higher safety risks while driving, and suggested states to allow their own research before deciding to ban phone usage while driving.

“States that have not already passed handheld bans should wait until more definitive research and data are available on these laws’ effectiveness,” the study concluded. “There is no evidence that cell phone or texting bans have reduced crashes.”

However, the GHSA suggested a ban on cell phone usage for teenage driver statewide because they are at the highest risk for crashes, being so new to the road and unaware of problems that could possibly occur.
“Despite all that has been written about drive distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” Barbara Harsha, the GHSA’s executive director said. “Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”

Safety groups like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disagree.

“NHTSA agrees with the GHSA recommendation that states should take a data-driven approach in making decisions about whether to push for laws mandating certain driver behaviors,” said the spokeswomen for NHTSA, Lynda Tran“But we feel strongly there is robust evidence on the dangers of distracted driving.”
Before the research of GHSA, states began limiting roadway cell phone usage to hands-free devices including headsets and Bluetooth earpieces. Studies also show drivers using apps behind the wheel of their vehicle, which began cell phone regulation.

30 states currently prohibit all cell phone usage from new drivers, and require all conversations to be used with a hands-free device. 34 states have now banned texting while driving which has penalties of large fines on violators.

The federal government and wireless carriers are also trying to limit cell phone use while driving along with the states’ efforts. The Obama administration has also began thinking of adding warning labels, like the ones on cigarette packages, on phones to keep awareness to consumers about the dangers of texting and driving.

The U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood referred to distracted driving as an “epidemic” that has already killed thousands and injured almost half of a million people on the U.S. roads last year.
T-Mobile and Sprint are also taking action to fight against distracted driving. T-Mobile is adding a “DriveSmart” service to its menu to disable functions of the phone once the vehicle starts moving by sensing rapid movements between cell towers. Once the vehicle is on the road for ten seconds, the service automatically sends out voicemail with a message which explains that the person is driving.
Sprint’s “DriveFirst” feature also includes many of the same features. The services can be disable in the event of an emergency.

As long as distracted driving doesn’t continue to remain a problem, governments and many corporations will likely continue to focus on this issue until it is resolved. Stricter regulations and more services like DriveSmart should be the new wave of protection for the younger crowd as technology expands.