Phone Use While Driving As Dangerous As DUI

1. Phone Use While Driving As Dangerous As DUI By: National Traffic Safety Institute

2. With the advent of mobile phone technology comes a new menace to road safety and human lives. Drinking and Driving makes you 7 times more likely to be involved in a crash (NHTSA) while Texting and Driving makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a car crash (NHTSA). In the US, for example, official statistics show that someone gets killed every 53 minutes in a drunk driving crash, which translates to 27 fatalities every day.  Every 90 seconds, someone is also injured in a drunk driving incident.  The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that alcohol-related vehicular collisions caused 17,941 deaths in 2006 alone.  This represented 40% of the total traffic deaths in the US in 2006.

3. The grim statistics on road collisions resulting from calling or taking a call on a mobile device while driving are not far behind drunk driving collisions.  

4. Research conducted by the NHTSA asserts that drivers who use either a handheld or hands-free cellphone are four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury or death.  At any given moment during the daylight hours, over 800,000 vehicles in the US are being driven by someone using a mobile, according to that research.  It says both hand-held and hands-free mobile phones impair driving, with no significant difference in this degree of impairment.

5. Using a mobile phone while driving can be distracting.  It makes no difference whether you are talking on the phone, texting, playing games or taking photos.  Studies have found that using a mobile phone while driving slows reaction times and interferes with a driver’s perception skills which increases the chances of being involved in a collision. Drinking and Driving is as dangerous as using a mobile phone while driving because it hampers decision making.  Deciding when it is safe to turn in traffic is a complex task.  When your attention is divided, this affects your judgment and you may fail to choose a safe decision in these situations. When making a decision while approaching oncoming traffic, you also tend overlook the environmental conditions, which can affect your driving outcome.

6. Your reaction is also slower and less controlled.  You generally react slower when using a mobile phone, particularly when you’re deep in a conversation.  You may take longer to respond to traffic signals or completely miss them.  During a mobile phone call your brake reaction time is significantly reduced which will cause you to stop with more force and less control. This results in shorter stopping distances. When using a phone while driving, you’re more likely to swerve out of your lane even on a straight road with light traffic.  You also tend to spend less time checking your mirrors and what’s going on around you which can affect your ability to monitor and negotiate traffic safely.

7. If talking on a mobile device while driving is an utmost necessity, it may be wise to pull over in a safe area and continue driving after the conversation.  Don’t engage in complex, emotional or romantic conversations while driving. Tell the person on the other end that you are driving and may have to end the call.  End the call since it is distracting you from driving and never, ever, make calls in heavy traffic, poor road conditions, or bad weather. For more information about Defensive Driving Course, please visit the National Traffic Safety Institute atwww.ntsi.com, call us at (866) 346-3283, or email us at corporate@ntsi.com.