Driving While Distracted

We all do it. The cell phone rings and we answer it. We go through the drive-thru and eat in route to our destination. We've come accustomed to multi-tasking that we don't think twice about it anymore. But a new study lends scientific credence that distracted drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a crash as more attentive motorists.

The study monitored the behavior of 241 drivers in 100 vehicles for more than a year. The drivers covered 2 million miles and were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes. Almost 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes happened within three seconds of some form of driver distraction.

Crashes or near-crashes were multiplied by nine times when the driver was reaching for a moving object in the car. The risk tripled when the driver was reading, applying makeup, or dialing on their cell phone.

"All of these activities are much more dangerous than we thought before," Dr. Charlie Klauer, a senior research associate at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

"But also we're very concerned about the fact that not only are we drinking our coffee and we're disciplining our children and we're eating sandwiches in the car, but the proliferation of technologies in the vehicle have just exacerbated the amount of time that drivers are distracted," she said.

The most common distraction for drivers was using cell phones. While talking on a cell phone was less risky than dialing, it was a factor in almost as many crashes because it was done far more often.

Drowsiness, another problem, caused drivers four times as likely to have a crash or near-crash. Overall, drowsiness contributed to more than 22 percent of the crashes and near-misses recorded.

Drivers ages 18 to 20 were four times as likely to have inattention-related crashes and near-crashes as drivers over 35.

The evidence showed that aggressive driving was far more prevalent among the youngest.

Looking away from the road, even glancing in the rearview mirror, could be deemed a distraction. But a long glance away from the road, like looking at an accident, doubles your chance of having an accident yourself.

"This important research illustrates the potentially dire consequences that can occur while driving distracted or drowsy," said Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

List of Risky Driving Habits

22.16 % Drowsiness

3.58 % Dialing hand-held device

3.56 % Talking/listening to a hand-held device

2.85 % Reading

2.15 % Eating

1.41 % Applying makeup

1.23 % Reaching for object

1.11 % Reaching for a moving object

0.91 % Looking at external object

0.35 % Insect in vehicle

Resources:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/20/driving.study/index.html