Distracted drivers cited in 80 percent of crashes
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Those sleep-deprived, multitasking drivers - clutching cell phones, fiddling with their radios or applying lipstick - are involved in an awful lot of crashes.
Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes, says a study released Thursday by the government.
Researchers reviewed thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers from paying close attention to the road.
"We see people on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3 players, reading e-mails, all while driving 40, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour and sometimes even faster," said Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of the government's highway safety agency.
A driver's reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or potential collision by nine times, according to researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
They found the risk of a crash increases almost threefold when a driver is dialing a cell phone.
Assessing cell phone use, the researchers said the number of crashes or near-crashes linked to dialing the phones was nearly identical to those tied to talking or listening on the phone.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...21/1036875.asp
Ladders And Drivin Don't Mix
Quote:
Originally Posted by steven
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Those sleep-deprived, multitasking drivers - clutching cell phones, fiddling with their radios or applying lipstick - are involved in an awful lot of crashes.
Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes, says a study released Thursday by the government.
Researchers reviewed thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers from paying close attention to the road.
"We see people on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3 players, reading e-mails, all while driving 40, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour and sometimes even faster," said Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of the government's highway safety agency.
A driver's reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or potential collision by nine times, according to researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
They found the risk of a crash increases almost threefold when a driver is dialing a cell phone.
Assessing cell phone use, the researchers said the number of crashes or near-crashes linked to dialing the phones was nearly identical to those tied to talking or listening on the phone.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...21/1036875.asp
Yeah, a few weeks back I was running late for work and I was stuck on a side street behind a guy in a work truck going about 10 miles an hour. It was a side street with two one way lanes so I could not pass him. While I sat there muttering to myself I noticed that he had a ladder on his passenger seat. He kept fiddling with the ladder while he was driving, apparently oblivious to anyting else. He'd drive a few more blocks and then slow down to 10 mph again and start fiddling with the latter some more...He, with one hand on the wheel, managed to pick up the ladder and spin it around 360 degrees... Never mind cell phones or lipstick, watch out for peope driving with ladders.:eek:
