Americans Say They Are Driving While Texting and Talking on Cell Phones Less
According to a new survey conducted by Nationwide Insurance, people are talking on their cell phones and texting less while driving. As the dangers of driving while texting or talking on a cell phone are becoming more publicized (largely due to serious injury accidents caused by such distracted driving), people are being more careful about using mobile communication devices while driving. According to the survey, 20% of people with cell phones drive while texting. However, the percentage of drivers under age 35 who admit to driving while texting is still quite high at 47%. The surveyors who admitted to driving while texting did admit to doing it less than before. Additionally, 67% of those surveyed admitted to driving while talking on their cell phones.
In our opinion, this survey illustrates two points. First, people are under-reporting their driving while texting and driving while talking on a cell phone practices. Looking around at people driving in Jacksonville, Florida and the North Florida area, it seems to be increasingly common to see drivers using their cell phones in some manner while driving. Secondly, even with the admitted numbers, driving while distracted is a huge problem. Some studies have shown that driving while texting can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs because of the way it takes a driver's eyes and focus off of the road for significant periods of time. At highway speeds, a vehicle can travel long distances when a driver is looking at a cell phone as opposed to the road for just a few seconds. It is when this occurs and a vehicle stops, a driver switches lanes or the distracted driver veers out of his/her lane that serious accidents occur.
It is good that distracted driving is becoming more of a publicized issue in an attempt to reduce serious and avoidable injury accidents. However, as cell phones become more advanced with more applications and more people buy them, we are skeptical that the numbers truly indicate that people are driving while texting or talking on their cell phones less.
