Drive Now, Talk Later

Cell Phones Cause Deadly Distractions

Thats a scary statement but recent reports and studies appear to have come to that conclusion.

The University of Utah ....corroborates earlier research studies indicating that both hand held and hands free models pose a similar ris! of distraction and accident potential. They further stated that ...even casual conversation "hile driving and using a cell phone create a visual blindness or #inattention blindness "hich decreases a drivers attention to visual cues and situational a"areness. This$ in turn$ affects the drivers ability to process traffic cues and ma!e sound driving %udgments.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration &'(T)*+$ ...estimates that driver
distraction is a factor in at least ,-. &up to /0.+ of traffic fatalities.... The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety&'1T)+ has indicated that appro2imately 30. of all crashes are caused by distracted drivers. This three year research study of 4!lahoma crash data associated cell phone use to a nine fold increase in fatalities.

The 566- study by the Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal sho"ed that ...ris! of
collision increases by /7. among drivers "ith cell phones. Drivers using their phones more than 30 minutes a month increased their ris! of collision five fold.

The New England Journal of Medicine found that the ris! of having an accident "hile
driving and using a cell phone "as four times greater than it is "hen not using a cell phone. There "as no statistically significant difference in the ris! bet"een a hand held and a hands free phone "hile driving.

drive no"$ tal! later

There are at least ,0 more research studies all coming to the same conclusion. The use of the cell phone$ "hile the vehicle is in motion$ significantly increases the chances that the driver "ill be involved in an accident. LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS: )everal court cases have resulted in high dollar a"ards including one in *r!ansas "here a lumber "holesaler agreed to pay 85-., million to a "oman "ho "as severely disabled by one of its salesmen "ho "as tal!ing on his cell phone at the time of the accident. Phone records "ere subpoenaed for the trial. Do "e need further proof9 : dont thin! so. Probably every one of us has had at least one near miss "ith somebody holding a cell phone up to his;her ear. Precautions we can take: <e e2tra careful "hen you see other drivers using cell phones. *s! people "ho are li!ely to call you to not call "hen they !no" you "ill be driving. :f you must tal!$ "ait until you are safely pulled over. Tell callers that you are driving and as! if you may call them bac!. *ny time "e thin! "e can save by continuing to drive "hile using a cell phone is not "orth the ris!. =ets all ma!e it a point to

Drive Now, Talk Later!

drive no"$ tal! later