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25% of Car Accidents Linked to Gadget Use

Posted by samzenpus on from the turn-your-movie-off dept.

BogenDorpher writes "In a recent study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (PDF), driving distractions such as cell phones and other electronic devices cause as much as 25% of all US car accidents. It is common knowledge that driving while distracted is not a safe thing to do, but now we have some scientific data that goes in-depth on the topic. From the article: '"Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know. Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it," said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha.'"

3 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. Here come the "But not special *ME*!" posts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, you're NOT special.

    1. Re:Here come the "But not special *ME*!" posts by gfxguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't get it... are you saying cellphone use should be allowed while driving because younger drivers will be distracted anyway?

      Obviously you can't eliminate all distractions, but that doesn't mean we should make it easier to be distracted.

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
  2. But has it increased by 25%? by Kanel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does this mean that the number of car accidents has increased by 25? If not, what improvements have cancelled out the increase in accidents caused by cellphones and other gadgets? Are there fewer accidents caused by people fiddling for CDs in the glove compartment or trying to find a good AM channel? Are there fewer accidents caused by frustrated people trying to find their way on a fold-out map?