Driving under the (cellular) influence
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Around 35,000 American teens have died in car accidents in the last five years. That’s 18 a day.
So what’s behind these deadly stats? Studies say one typical culprit, drunk driving, shouldn’t shoulder all the blame. And although drugged driving is on the rise, data released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, points to cell phones as a big part of the problem too.
In 2007, texting while driving hit national headlines: when five New York cheerleaders died the night of their high school graduation, there were reports that texting was to blame.
The facts suggest that the problem goes far beyond the 2007 tragedy:
- In a Seventeen magazine and AAA study, 46% of teen admitted to texting while driving. Over half said they talk on their cell phones behind the wheel too.
- Cell phone use contributes to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injures, and 2,600 deaths each year, according to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.
- The New England Journal of Medicine studied hospital records to find that drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to be in a crash while they’re using their phone.
- Several studies of which areas of the brain are involved in distracting a driver from the road say there is no difference in mental distraction between hand-held and hands-free phones.
In 2003, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) researchers proposed a study of 10,000 drivers to figure out the safety risk behind drivers’ cell phone use.
The study was not approved however, and since then the NHTSA decided not to publish research and warnings about phone use on the roads. But today, these hundreds of pages of research will become public for the first time.
The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen group pushed for the information to become public by issuing a lawsuit against the NHTSA. The director of the Center for Auto Safety said, “We’re looking at a problem that could be as bad as drunk driving, and the government has covered it up.”
The former head of the NHTSA defended his actions, saying he was pushed to keep it private due to fear that Congress might not be happy with the NHTSA for doing this kind of study.
Researchers at the NHTSA are hoping to do a more long-term, wide scale study and say that there is not a large amount of precise data on the issue.
What’s being done?
- No state totally bans all types of cell phone use
- 21 state ban cell phone use by new drivers
- 14 states ban text messaging by drivers
- 5 states ban drivers from talking on handheld cell phones
What can you do?
- First, play the NY Times' driving game to learn more about just how distracting that cell can be.
- Then, learn about the laws about driving in your state. Want to change them? Write your elected officials and tell them.
- Then, find out more ways to promote smart driving.
Want to know what teens think about it? Some DS users sounded off about whether they think it’s dangerous, and if they talk or text while driving:
"Yes. Talking not as dangerous but yes i do them both."
"It's an obvious distraction and certainly dangerous...have done it, but am now more inclined to wait for a stop light or just call the person."
“Yes it’s dangerous, that’s why it’s illegal in my state. Not saying I’ve never done it though”
"It is a proven fact that texting/talking is more dangerous then drinking and driving. I do not text/talk while I'm driving... only if its urgent and if I'm at a stoplight. And even then its very rare"
"It is very dangerous. Unfortunately I do it all the time. "
"Can’t a phone call wait?! studies have shown that people who text while driving have a slower reaction time than drunk drivers."
Then, tell us what you think! Do you think the studies released today should have been available earlier? Would it have prevented deaths? Should there be laws against texting or talking while driving? Let us know, comment below!
