Our blog yesterday mentioned a study from researchers at the University of Utah that found distracted driving slows reaction time equivalent to a driver with a .08 blood alcohol content. The University of Utah researchers have studied distracted driving for over a decade. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) relied on their data in making the recent recommendation for the nationwide cell phone while driving ban.
Some more findings from the researchers that you might find revealing include:
- Their 2001 study discovered that the cell phone conversation is more distracting than the phone itself behind the wheel
- In 2005, they found out that teen drivers that talk on cell phone while driving have slowed reaction times comparable to an elderly driver
The five members of the NTSB all voted in favor of the nationwide ban after considering the above data and after reports of horrific car accidentscaused by distracted drivers. Surveys of drivers across the county consistently reveal that a majority of Americans agree that using cell phones while driving is a problem when other drivers do it, but not when they do it.
With over 5 billion cell phone subscribers across the world, distracted driving appears to be a giant hurdle to overcome at this point.
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