Stop Cell Phone Use While Driving. You have been warned!

We can all agree that texting while driving, making calls on the road and cell phone distraction in general is a problem. But it turns out that the problem is worse than it appears.
U.S. News and World Report covered a recent study by the National Safety Council. The study, conducted in partnership with Nationwide, shows that cell-phone-related car crashes are drastically under-reported, and that as many as 1 in 4 car crashes involve cell phone distraction.
- See more at: http://blog.nationwide.com/nsc-infographic/#sthash.qsqEFNJr.dpuf

We can all agree that texting while driving, making calls on the road and cell phone distraction in general is a problem. But it turns out that the problem is worse than it appears.
U.S. News and World Report covered a recent study by the National Safety Council. The study, conducted in partnership with Nationwide, shows that cell-phone-related car crashes are drastically under-reported, and that as many as 1 in 4 car crashes involve cell phone distraction.
- See more at: http://blog.nationwide.com/nsc-infographic/#sthash.qsqEFNJr.dpuf

• Nearly half (48%) of drivers admit to answering their cell phone while driving.
• Of those who answer their phones while driving, 58% of drivers continue to drive while talking on the phone.
• In the survey, 24% of drivers reported that they are willing to make a phone call while driving.
• One in 10 drivers surveyed said that, at least sometimes, they send text messages or emails while driving.
• Of the drivers surveyed, 14% said they read text messages or emails while driving.
• A majority of respondents support laws that ban talking on cell phones, texting, or emailing while driving.

"According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, people who text and drive increase their chances of 'safety-critical events' by a multiple of 23.2. And new research is constantly rolling out, showing the same thing: 'We can't handle the visual, manual, and cognitive commitment of using a phone while driving,' writes blogger Kevin Purdy. What's needed, Purdy suggests, isn't more laws that will go ignored, but phones that know enough to stop giving us the distractions we ask them for: 'I think the next good phone, the next phone that makes some variant of the claim that it "Fits the way you live," needs to know that we don't know what is good for us when it comes to driving. We want to be entertained and shown new things while doing the often mundane or stressful task of driving. More specifically, those phones should know when we are driving, quiet or otherwise obscure updates from most apps, and be able to offer their most basic functions without needing to turn on a screen or type a single letter.'"

I still maintain that a fine the first time caught driving and texting or talking on the phone while driving. And confiscation of the phone the second time with a larger fine. And three months in jail with safety classes the third time should do a good job of eliminating the "safety_critical events."

At any given time during daylight hours, 660,000 drivers in the United States use cell phones. Whether it’s texting, taking a phone call, or sending emails, cell phone use is associated with higher rates of dangerous or fatal car crashes. Accidents involving drivers using their cell phones are avoidable but many people put everyone’s safety at risk by ignoring laws against distracted driving.

General Cell Phone and Driving Statistics

• Texting while driving makes a driver 23x more likely to crash.
• Drivers talking on a cell phone are 4x more likely to have a car accident.
• Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70 year old.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• 94% of drivers support bans on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support bans on hand-held cell phone use.

Teen Driver Cell Phone Statistics

• 15- to 19-year-olds make up the largest proportion of distracted drivers.
• According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, texting while driving kills 11 teens each day.
• In a AAA poll, 94% of teens called texting and driving a serious threat, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway.
• 11% of drivers ages 15 – 19 involved in fatal crashes were reported to be distracted.
• 21% of distracted teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by cell phones.
• Teen drivers are 4x more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near-crashes when talking or texting on a cell phone.
• A teen driver riding with one other passenger doubles the risk of being involved in a fatal car crash. With two or more passengers, a fatal accident is 5x as likely.
• 46% of drivers under 18 admit to texting while driving.
• Over 60% of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those admit to texting behind the wheel.