On this week’s episode of TechKnow, contributors Lindsay Moran and Kosta Grammatis take a look at the science behind distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.”
That list includes activities like applying mascara in the rear view mirror, adjusting theradio, using navigation systems, eating and drinking, even passengers are distractions.
Now that cellphones and voice command systems are become more and more a part of the driving experience, distractions in the car just got a whole lot more difficult to resist.
The use of cellphones while driving has become a greater hazard than drinking; it’s now the leading cause of death for teen drivers. No text message is worth the risk, it can wait, put it down. Lest you forget, here are some stats to keep in the back of your mind.
153.3 billion text message are sent in the US every year
1.6 million auto crashes that cell phones are involved in
3,328 the number of people killed in crashes involving a distracted driver
421,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver
4.6 seconds how long a driver’s eye is off the road when sending or receiving a text message
23 times more likely to be in an accident while texting and driving
37% brain activity in the parietal lobe (responsible for spatial navigation) decreases when listening while driving
0.08 people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood alcohol limit.
44 states prohibit text messaging while driving for all drivers
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