New Study Reveals Distracted Driving Beliefs
New Study Reveals Distracted Driving Beliefs. A recent study published in Risk Analysis: An International Journal revealed that roughly 68 percent of people don’t view texting and driving as dangerous. The Society for Risk Analysis reported that you are six times more likely to get into an auto accident if you text and drive. Despite the evidence that texting while driving is risky, many people still need to be convinced of how dangerous it really is. Most people list separation anxiety and their “fear of missing out” as the main reasons they can’t put down their phone in the car.
The Results and Methods of the Study
The study was done as a questionnaire and collected the answers of 447 drivers in Australia. Participants were asked about their level of comfort driving, perceived crash risk, ability and difficulty, and perceived likelihood of talking or texting on the phone.
The results showed that people were more willing to talk on the phone than sending a text message. Women are more susceptible to using their cellphone than men. Inexperienced drivers were also more likely to be on the phone. The more years a person had held a driver’s license, the less likely they were to engage in cell phone use.
Unsurprisingly, the study also found that those who minimized the effects cell phone use can have on a driver were more likely to be on their phone. However, participants did admit that law enforcement presence and demanding traffic conditions were strong deterrents. This response supports the enforcement of high-visibility police programs as an effective method of reducing cell phone use among drivers.
More Distraction Equals More Danger
The press release reports that cell phones contribute to 25 percent of all accidents, but the real risk is dependent upon what action the driver is performing. Any activity that requires a significant amount of cognitive or physical resources is increasingly dangerous. Therefore, reaching under your seat to grab the phone you just dropped carries more risk than reaching to turn up the volume of your air conditioner, which can usually be done without taking your eyes off the road. Likewise, it is much more dangerous to text than speak on the phone while driving, because most people need to take their eyes off the road to write a text message. Talking on the phone increases the chances of getting into an accident by 2.2 times, whereas texting increases the risk by 6.1 times.
Watch Youtube Video: Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it? – CAR and DRIVER. This video by Car and Driver Magazine compares the results of texting and driving to drunk driving in an experiment meant to assess the risks of texting behind the wheel.
Pittsburg Personal Injury Lawyers
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New Study Reveals Distracted Driving Beliefs: AutoAccident.com
Photo: Author Hassan Ouajbir – Pexels/New Study Reveals Distracted Driving Beliefs
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