Despite the fact that everyone knows how dangerous distracted drivers can be drivers in the U.S. continue to talk on their cell phones and even worse, text while driving. Here are some interesting facts about the dangers of distracted driving and the issues they cause each year.
Statistics Don’t Lie
Here are some of the most startling statistics about distracted drivers:
According to a federal study 11 percent of drivers are talking on their phone at any given time.
According to a Harvard study 2,600 traffic deaths were caused by drivers on their cell phones.
According to another Harvard study 570,000 cell phone conversations were the cause of serious and minor injuries in car accidents.
According to a CBS News poll half of the Americans surveyed believed that texting while driving should be a serious crime on par with drunk driving.
Truckers’ Computers
Many trucking companies continue to use outdated fleet tracking, GPS and other computer devices instead of installing newer hands free and voice activated versions. These computer screens are mounted in the cabs of many trucking fleets and can cause drivers to look away for 4 seconds on average. When driving a large truck on a busy highway they can travel the length of a football field in that 4 seconds their eyes are off the road. Using the Vehicle Tracking System NY fleets use with hands free technology or even that will not allow truckers to drive when the system is engaged could help reduce the chance of accidents on U.S. highways.
New York Cabbies
New York Cabbies are banned from using cell phones and cannot even use hands free devices, yet if you look at the cars around you on any NYC street you will see cabbies talking away unabashedly. Despite the laws it is very difficult to catch cabbies at it and police are dependent upon fares to call in complaints about offending drivers. But who has time for that? Records are not necessarily accurate so it is difficult to tell just how many accidents are caused by cabbies on cell phones.
The need to be in constant contact seems to be an addiction for most people in society. Using hands free devices and avoiding texting may help as will the Vehicle Tracking System NY fleets use with hands free and voice activated options.
