September 10, 2009 - The renowned Virginia Tech Transportation Institue ealier this summer released the results of a comprehensive study that looked at driver distraction by monirogin drivers with caeras inside cars for more than 6 million miles of driving found that dialing a cell phone, talking on a phone and foremost, texting, all incrase the risk of a driver having a crash. With texting, the risk of a crash goes up exponentially. Drivers who send and receive text messages while driving, on anerage, take their eyes off the road 4.6 seconds out of evy 5 seconds driving. At 55 mph, that equates to traveling the length of a football field without looking at the road.
Study clearly shows that texting creates a huge risk on the road.
Most people have an idea that using a cell phone while driving is dangerous and that sending and reading text messages while driving is even worse.
Well, now there's a conclusive study that proves it. We hope it's enough to convince those multitasking South Jerseyans who put everyone else at risk when they continually take their eyes off the road to stop.
The renowned Virginia Tech Transportation Institute earlier this summer released the results of a comprehensive study that looked at driver distraction by monitoring drivers with cameras inside cars for more than 6 million miles of driving found that dialing a cell phone, talking on a phone and foremost, texting, all increase the risk of a driver having an accident.
With texting, the risk of accident goes up exponentially. Drivers who send and receive text messages while driving, on average, take their eyes off the road 4.6 seconds out of every six seconds driving. At 55 mph, that equates to traveling the length of a football field without looking at the road.
All told, drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident that non-distracted drivers.
With cell phones, the biggest risk comes in dialing. Light car drivers are 2.8 times more likely to crash while dialing a phone and drivers of larger automobiles and trucks are 5.9 times more likely to crash than a non-distracted driver.
New Jersey is one of the few states that not only makes using hand-held communication devices illegal for all drivers, but also makes it a primary offense that police can pull a driver over for.
Many New Jerseyans thought the state was being heavy-handed five years ago when it passed it's ban on drivers using hand-held cell phones. But studies like this one validate the law and make it more clear than ever why it's needed.
Every year in New Jersey, thousands of teenage drivers get their license. They're part of a generation that has only known a world with cell phones and text messages, and they use those technologies every day, including while behind the wheel even though it's illegal. The Virginia Tech study found that teen drivers using electronic devices while driving are four times more likely to get in crashes than adult drivers. Among the study's recommendations: that all cell phone/texting device use should be banned for newly licensed drivers.
And teen drivers aren't alone. Countless adults of all ages also have developed the bad habit of constantly chattering or typing away while driving.
New Jersey is already where it needs to be on this with its laws. But to change the culture, this is something that police have to enforce and all drivers, especially parents who are role models for their kids, need to adhere to and take seriously.
Using these electronic devices while driving, and looking down to dial/type puts drivers at risk, their passengers at risk and other drivers and pedestrians at risk. It's dangerous, it's illegal and it needs to stop
News