Maybe you count yourself among those who always refrain from using your phone while driving. Or, maybe you are one of the many people across California who regret to admit that you do, on occasion, break the state’s hands-free cellphone laws. Regardless of whether you are one of the rule-abiders or offenders, know that your chances of getting into a crash with someone using a phone or otherwise driving distracted continues to rise despite enhanced legislation.
According to Forbes, new research regarding the dangers of distracted driving reveals that the behavior is becoming even more of a danger than drunk driving and that it is also far more common. Furthermore, the number of motorists addicted to their phones, meaning that they spend at least 28% of their driving time essentially ignoring the road while instead concentrating on their cellphones, has doubled within the last year.
Legislation doing little to curb the problem
The frequency with which today’s drivers use their phones while driving is alarming. This is especially true given just how many states have enacted new legislation in recent years that limits how and when drivers can use their phones in the car. Current statistics show that, at any given time, anywhere between 60% and 80% of all drivers on the road are actively using their phones.
An increasingly pervasive issue
Just how common has today’s distracted driving problem become in recent years? Research indicates that distracted driving has caused an 83% increase in all types of car crashes. Furthermore, the number of pedestrians losing their lives because of distracted drivers is at a 30-year high, spotlighting a continuing upward trend that spells trouble for all motorists.
New laws prohibiting cellphone use behind the wheel appear to be doing little to change driver behaviors. Some believe that new technologies that prevent drivers from using their cellphones in their vehicles may one day help curb the problem.
