A new study found that 52% of roadside accidents involved drivers distracted by their phones.
Apparently, being in sole control of one of the quarter-billion aluminum shells hurtling at high speed on America’s roads isn’t enough to hold drivers’ attention. Traffic deaths have jumped by 14% since 2014, according to Cambridge Mobile Telematics, which conducted the study. The research firm found that 52% of accidents involved drivers who were distracted by their phones.
Anti-cell phone use while driving laws have done little to curb the habits of its citizens. Only fourteen states have banned handheld use of phones while driving, and only twenty prohibit phone use by school bus drivers; a single state bans bus drivers from texting.
But Cambridge Mobile Telematics’ Chief Technology Officer, Hari Balakrishnan, has hope:
Distracted driving due to smartphone use is intuitively blamed for the increase in road crashes and claims. What’s less intuitive is that smartphones hold the solution to the problem they created. Drivers now have access to tools that analyze their driving and achieve real behavioral change through immediate and ongoing feedback.
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8 comments:
It's not like the cell phone laws in Maryland are enforced, except after an accident, which makes little sense.
Maybe instead of speed cameras, we should have cellphone use cameras, now that we know that it kills more people than speeding.
I'm for cellphones that won't operate when they're moving faster than 5 mph. Yes, even the kids' in the back seat.
Except to call 911.
How did we EVER get by before cell phones!!
The long long lines at pay phones - oh the insanity!!!!!!!
I see people driving their cars using cell phones everyday. Sometimes in a 15 minute drive I will see 5 or more people on their phone.
There is hand free law in FL for talking on cellphone. Texting is illegal. There are no more accidents in FL than MD.
Raise the fine to $500 for the first offense, $1000 for the second, etc.
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