Distracted to Death - The Dangers of Distracted Driving

The Statistics

Distracted driving is the leading cause of death for people ages 3 through 34. In 2009, an estimated 5,474 people were killed in distracted driving-related accidents, and an additional 448,000 were injured. Distractions in the car can come from any non-driving activity that takes the driver's attention off the road, including eating or drinking, using navigational devices, watching videos, talking to passengers, and the most well-known, talking or texting on cell phones.

Today, more than 285 million people in the United States have cell phones, accounting for more than 91 percent of the U.S. population. Compare this with statistics from 1995--in that year, only 13 percent of the U.S. population carried cell phones. Technology has come a long way since 1995, and hands-free options have been enhanced to help ease the distraction, but drivers still have the misconception that hands-free technology is completely safe. This is simply not true.

The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Although manual and visual distractions are lessened by hands-free technology, cognitive distractions still remain. In other words, drivers are focusing on the conversation at hand and are ignoring their surroundings. Many have described this cognitive distraction as a sort of tunnel vision, and often after an accident, distracted drivers remark that they cannot remember seeing the object or other car that they hit. Research suggests that distractions involving cell phones delay the driver's reaction time as if he were driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent, the legal limit.

Perhaps even more dangerous than talking on a cell phone while driving, is texting or sending an email while driving. This seems to be an especially big problem for teens. In a Pew Research Center survey of teens ages 16-17, of those who were able to drive, 34 percent admitted to texting while driving. Even though texting while driving is banned in many states for drivers with intermediary licenses, studies show that teens are still finding ways to text and drive. And of course, they are not alone. Adults are just as guilty of texting and driving, but the difference is that very few states have laws banning texting and driving for all drivers.

What You Can Do

Distracted driving is 100 percent preventable. To help put an end to distracted driving, take the pledge to stop your own distracted driving habits at justputitdown.com. By taking the pledge, you are committing to drive responsibly, and you are recognizing the value of another life and your own.

For more information on the dangers of distracted driving, visit justputitdown.com.