Research on distracted driving reveals some surprising facts

March 1, 2012

• Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. ( Source: Carnegie Mellon)
• 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involve some type of distraction. ( Source: Virginia Tech 100-car study for NHTSA)
• Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured. ( NHTSA)
• The worst offenders are the youngest and least-experienced drivers: men and women under 20 years of age. ( NHTSA)
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

If you were injured by a distracted driver in a car accident, call 877-335-5145 or contact the car accident attorneys at Tremont Sheldon Robinson Mahoney to discuss your case.

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