Despite numerous national campaigns and safety initiatives, the problem of distracted drivers continues to plague motorists in Springfield, Missouri and throughout the U.S. In this post, our personal injury lawyers share 10 facts about distracted driving and its connection to serious car accidents and their resulting injuries.
Distracted driving: 10 shocking facts for Missouri drivers
- Numerous studies have shown that certain forms of distraction (i.e. drowsiness, conversations) actually cause greater impairment than alcohol - in fact, a driver using a cell phone is more impaired than a driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%. Despite this research, more than 7 million people firmly believe that their driving is unaffected by these behaviors.
- Every single day, more than 15 people are killed and over 1,200 more are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
- When a driver is listening to music or conversation while behind the wheel, the amount of brain activity associated with driving decreases by nearly 40%.
- In a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Study, 80% of respondents admitted to engaging in blatantly hazardous behaviors while driving, including changing clothes, painting fingernails and shaving.
- Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to cause a crash serious enough to result in injuries. Contrary to popular belief, hands-free phones have not proven to be substantially safer than hand-held devices.
- A State Farm Survey of 1,000 drivers found that 48% admitted to "webbing" (accessing the internet) while behind the wheel in 2012, compared to only 29% in 2009.
- Distracted driving is now the number one killer of American teenagers. The Pew Research Center reports that 40% of teens say they have been in a car with a driver who used a cell phone in a way that put his or her passengers in danger.