Driver distraction is now one of the most important threats to safety on the road. 20 Years ago drivers were merely warned against tuning the radio and the distractions inside the car caused by passengers and activities such as eating, reading, conversations etc. At present we find all kinds of devices and of these the biggest cause of diver distraction is the cellular phone.
Drivers are often distracted by phone calls, text messages or taking part in discussions on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from their cellular phones. I have come across very interesting data on the sending of text messages in the US and find this quite revealing:
- The Census Bureau reports that the nation’s 270 million cell phone users sent out more than 110 billion text messages last year.
- That averages out to 407 texts per person, up from 188 messages per cell phone subscriber in 2007.
- The average cell phone call length dipped to the shortest time since the 1990s at 2.3 minutes.
- The average teen pumps out 2,000 text messages per month.
How many of these were sent by drivers whilst busy driving? We will never know the exact amount – and we will never know the exact amount of accidents caused by those who were texting. Vehicle owners will not disclose to their car insurance companies that they were distracted by sending text messages – they know they were at fault doing so – and they know the insurer can reject their accident claim if this is disclosed as cause of the accident!
But how dangerous is it to text while driving?
A research study from Washington in the US revealed earlier this week that text messaging drivers are six times more likely to get into an accident than drivers who do not text. The study, using simulator vehicles and identical traffic scenarios, also found the risk of texting behind the wheel appeared to be significantly higher than talking on a cell phone while driving, another dangerous distraction.
While other studies have shown the dangers of text messaging while driving, researcher Frank Drews of the University of Utah in a telephone interview said theirs is the first to examine accidents rather than ‘close calls.’ The study, published in the journal Human Factors, evaluated the driving performance of 20 pairs of self-described experienced text messengers using their own cell phones.
The drivers, aged 19 to 23, were instructed to plan an evening outing in which they had to arrange a number of activities.
‘Their task was to drive, single-task driving in the simulator to assess baseline performance,’ Mr Drews said. ‘In the next step, they (researchers) had them text message with friends who were in a different room while they were driving.’ During the study, there were seven collisions, each caused by different drivers. Six of the crashes (86 per cent) happened while drivers were text messaging. Only one accident occurred while the participant was simply driving.
And why is sending text messages so dangerous to the driver and other road users?
- The study found that text messaging drivers were slower to react to vehicles’ brake lights ahead of them.
- Drivers who are texting are much more likely to drift into other lanes.
- Texting reduces the ability to maintain a safe following distance.
We have, on the Arrive Alive website recognized the importance of alerting road users to the dangers of distractions – not only to drivers, but also to pedestrians in traffic! Vehicle owners need to be alert to the dangers and not only avoid driver distractions when driving – but also to avoid pedestrians who might be distracted!
We would like to alert all our road users to these dangers and to read more on:
- Avoiding distractions while driving
- Texting and Driver Distraction
- Road Safety and Pedestrian Distractions
Always ask your self – “Would I be comfortable with an oncoming driver texting behind the wheel of his vehicle?”
Related posts:
- Do we have the correct death toll on South African roads for December 2009?
- South Africans underinsured for death & disability from accidents
- Death toll rises on SA’s roads as car crashes increase during Easter holiday
Tags: Car Accidents, texting