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Driver distraction is a major cause of accidents. What are the laws by 29 states and the District of Columbia have passed restricting phone use cell for use with a hands free device (no jurisdiction has an outright ban). New Jersey and Washington are the only states to ban text messages, while 21 states are considering bills like this year.
Why the legislative trend?
In 2006, almost half of the 3580 phone-related accidents in New Jersey is a cell phone. Forty-five percent of fatal accidents that year also it is a handsfree device.
That same year, more than 350 drivers were reported to be distracted by cell phones when involved road accidents in Florida.
But I feel that using a hands free device with your cell phone is enough to reduce your chance of being in an accident. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon, you're probably still going to be distracted. The researchers used brain imaging to show that even just listening to a cell phone while driving cuts by more than a third of its attention to driving.
And other research, University of Utah, has shown that drivers actually driving cell phone tend to drive more slowly and can cause traffic jams.
But cell phones are the only cause of driver distraction? A recent study by Virginia Tech University and the National Transportation Safety Board Highway recorded the results of more than 100 drivers distracted. In total, over 7,000 accidents and near accidents were recorded. Images show drivers of sleep, eating while driving, applying makeup, reading newspapers or maps, and entering accidents due to talk on your cell phone phone or send text messages. In total, there were over 7,000 accidents and near accidents.
A January 2007 study by the automobile insurer nationwide found that 19 percent of motorists say they text message while driving.
Driver distraction contributes to half of car accidents, says AAA. And speaking drivers with a hands free device are still distracted by the conversation, and have yet to use his hands to dial or answer a call.
Ford Motor Company research shows that teens are four times more distracted than adults by phone use phone while driving. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board include a ban on teens driving with cell phones as one of its "Most Wanted" Highway Safety Improvements Federal Issues.
A survey by Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Students Against Destructive Decisions showed that teens considered sending text messages via cellphones to be their biggest distraction while driving.
A 2006 study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety found that nearly 80 per cent of accidents and 65 percent of near crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event.
About the Author:
Christopher M. Davis is the managing partner of Davis Law Group. He brings over 15 years of practical yet innovative experience to personal injury cases. He practices law in Seattle, WA. You can learn more about Mr. Davis at http://www.InjuryTrialLawyer.com or http://www.seattleaccidentnews.com .
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Distracted Driving: Cellphones and Text Messaging Research and Legislation
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