Distracted Drivers at Major Risk for Crashes: New Study Reveals by How Much

First Posted: Jan 02, 2014 09:08 AM EST
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Driving may be more dangerous than you realized. It turns out that drivers eat, reach for the phone, text or otherwise take their eyes off the road about 10 percent of the time that they're behind the wheel. The findings could have major implications for the road and how important it is to pay attention while driving.

"Anything that takes a driver's eyes off the road can be dangerous," said Bruce Simons-Morton, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But our study shows these distracting practices are especially risky for novice drivers, who haven't developed sound safety judgment behind the wheel."

In order to find out what things might be distracting drivers on a regular basis, the researchers analyzed video from cameras installed in the cars of about 150 drivers. About one-quarter of the drivers were novices, which meant they had their license for no more than three weeks. The other drivers had, on average, 20 years of experience and ranged in age from 18 to 72. Footage was taken whenever the cars were in motion over a period of 12 to 18 months. In addition, sensors recorded acceleration, sudden braking or swerving and drifting from one land into another.

So what did the researchers find? It turns out that experienced adults were more than twice as likely to crash or have a near miss when dialing a cell phone as when they did not dial and drive. However, they did not have an increased risk while engaging in other tasks secondary to driving. New drivers, though, were another matter. It turns out that they were eight times more likely to crash or have a near miss while dialing, seven to eight times more likely when reaching for a phone or another object, four times more likely when texting and three times more likely when eating.

"Our data support the current trend in implementing restrictions on texting and cell phone use in vehicles," said Simons-Morton in a news release. "As new forms of technology increasingly are available in cares, it's important that drivers don't feel compelled to answer every incoming call or text. For young drivers' safety, parents can model this habit when they are at the wheel, and also let their children know that they should wait until the vehicle is stopped before taking a call--even when it's from mom or dad."

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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