According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately six percent of drivers at any given moment are distracted by the use of a cell phone. Many other drivers are distracted by eating, looking at a maps, music, conversation, other passengers, or their own thoughts.
In 2009, 20 percent of crashes, or one in every five accidents that involved an injury also involved at least one driver who was distracted. Eighteen percent of those who died in car accidents in 2009 were either distracted themselves or crashed with a distracted driver. Additionally, approximately 448,000 people were injured in distracted driving-related crashes.
According to the NHTSA, using a cell phone while driving delays your reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or more, the legal limit beyond which driving while drunk is a crime. Like drunk drivers, distracted drivers make far more mistakes than drivers who are sober or aren’t distracted. Distracted drivers also have slower reaction times and often do not see a crucial signal, such as a red traffic light or a car pulling onto the road in front of them, until it is too late to prevent an Indiana car crash. Teenagers are at the highest risk of causing a distracted driving-related accident, but anyone who drives while distracted is up to four times more likely to be injured in an accident, according to the NHTSA.
Keeping your hands, thoughts, and eyes on your driving can reduce your risk of an accident and help keep you and your passengers safe!
