Notes+and+Sources

// 1) // __** Texting is dangerous. Dialing is too. But is hands-free technology that much safer? Most of us are neither pilots nor astronauts. We are not trained to steer large, hurtling hulks of steel and gasoline while manipulating small computers. So there's something blindingly obvious about the risks of texting while driving. Yet research is beginning to show that driving while simply talking on a cell phone--including using hands-free technology--can prove dangerous, even deadly. In late July, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) released hundreds of pages of a previously buried 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study that identified the cell phone as a serious safety hazard when used on the road. A bill introduced last month in the Senate would require all states to impose a ban on texting while driving; 17 states (including, most recently, Illinois, on Aug. 6) and the District of Columbia have passed such a ban, and seven states have outlawed driver use of handheld communication devices altogether. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood considers cell phones such a problem that he is planning a summit next month to discuss the dangers of driving while distracted. And though it's impossible to accurately gauge how many car accidents nationwide are cell phone related, David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, estimates that only 2% of people are able to safely multitask while driving. Strayer, who for more than a decade has been studying the effects driving and cell-phone use have on the brain, says those 2% are probably the same people who would be really good fighter pilots. Rarities. Some of Strayer's other findings show that most drivers tend to stare straight ahead while using a cell phone and are less influenced by peripheral vision. In other words, "cell phones," he says, "make you blind to your own bad driving." And even though the common assumption is that hands-free technology has mitigated the more dangerous side effects of cell-phone use--it's just like talking to someone sitting next to you, isn't it?--a series of 2007 simulator tests conducted by Strayer seems to indicate the opposite. A passenger acted as another set of eyes for the driver in the test and even stopped or started talking depending on the difficulty of conditions outside the car. Meanwhile, half the drivers talking on a hands-free phone failed, bypassing the rest area the test had called for them to stop at. Part of the problem may be that when people direct their attention to sound, the visual capacity of their brain decreases, says Steven Yantis, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University. It can be as if a driver is seeing the image in her head of the person she is talking to, thereby decreasing her ability to see what's actually in front of her. "When people are listening to a cell-phone conversation, they're slower to respond to things they're looking at," Yantis says. "It requires you to select one thing at the cost of being less able to respond to other things." This may explain why participants in one of Strayer's simulator studies were faster to brake and caused fewer crashes when they had a .08% blood-alcohol content than while sober and talking on a cell phone. Scientists at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute are skeptical, however, of simulator studies. In July the institute released a data analysis of the behavior of scores of drivers who agreed to have a camera placed in their vehicle for a year or so. After examining footage that preceded crashes and near crashes, the researchers concluded that while manual manipulation of a cell phone (dialing and texting) led to a greater risk of an accident, simple participation in a phone conversation (talking or listening) did not lead to a statistically significant increase in risk. The study will be presented next month at the first international conference on driver distraction and inattention, in Göteborg, Sweden. In spite of the proliferation of anti-cell-phone laws, drivers' habits don't appear to be changing. A 2008 Nationwide Mutual Insurance survey found that only 63% of drivers planned to abide by laws prohibiting cell phones. So parents, employers and insurance companies are stepping in to help minimize driver distraction. In the next few months, several technology start-ups will release new products for phones that can detect when a car is in motion and automatically log incoming calls and texts much as a personal assistant would. All the products have provisions that allow both incoming and outgoing calls during emergencies. Knowing that people will be unlikely to volunteer for a service that takes away their phone privileges, Nationwide has partnered with one of the start-ups and is planning to offer a discounted rate for those who use the distraction reducer. The insurer says its discount will most likely cover the cost of Aegis Mobility's DriveAssist, which will be available next year. Meanwhile, the CAS is calling for more draconian measures. Now that it has uncovered the NHTSA research, it is filing a petition calling for all new cars to have a device installed that allows only emergency calls. "We do not see how [NHTSA] can turn down a problem that's rapidly turning out to be as bad as drunk driving," says Clarence Ditlow, CAS's executive director. "We're asking that technology be installed in cars to disable their cell phones whenever you shift out of park." Though Ditlow admits that such a move could be years away, the organization's goal remains to "make talking and driving as socially unacceptable as drinking and driving," he says. "It's just a question of when we get there."
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 * 2% of people safely multi task. 17 states have a ban on txting and driving, while the senate will try to pass a ban for all states on txting and driving. A 2008 Nationwide Mutual Insurance survey found that only 63% of drivers planned to abide by laws prohibiting cell phones. This may explain why participants in one of Strayer's simulator studies were faster to brake and caused fewer crashes when they had a .08% blood-alcohol content than while sober and talking on a cell phone.

**//__2)__//** **Section:** SPECIAL REPORT  **Distracted driving is on the rise, making summer the scariest time for teens to be on the road. Here's what's causing new drivers to lose control — and the moves being made to keep ya safe.**  It was June 26, 2007, and Bailey Goodman, Meredith McClure, Hannah Congdon, Sara Monnat and Katie Shirley were on their way to a cottage in East Bloomfield, N.Y., to celebrate — the best friends, many of them cheerleaders, had graduated from Fairport High School just five days earlier. Pamula Ciranni, Fairport's principal, said that a seminar educating teens on driver's safety is required for all student drivers. Yet despite their educational program, distractions were heavy in play this summer night. Bailey, 17 years old, had just received a text message on her cell phone. Four seconds later, her sports utility vehicle swerved, hitting an oncoming tractor-trailer at 60 miles per hour. All five teens died on impact. No one knows whether it was Bailey, the driver, who was texting, but one thing is for sure. "It's been determined without any doubt that the cell phone that was receiving the texts belonged to the driver," said Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero. "We can't be sure whether she was actually texting herself, but in addition to that, there were enough distractions in the car to prevent any new driver from being safe on the road. Cell phones are a distraction and were most certainly a contributing cause in this accident," Povero concluded. Sheriff Povero's message is one that's spreading as new laws are being passed around the country, shining much-needed attention to the rising problem of **//distracted driving//**. Here's a chilling fact: Car crashes are still the leading cause of teen death in this country. And a new survey finds that 58 percent of teenagers admit to texting while driving. The scary stats don't end there: According to the National Safety Council, 636,000 traffic accidents occur each year as a result of talking on a cell phone or driving distracted in some way, resulting in 2,600 fatalities and 330,000 injuries. Think that will never be you? Think again. A recent study conducted by State Farm Insurance Co. in partnership with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported that teens are four times more likely to die in a car accident than adults. **An Alarming Addiction?** We all know it's dumb to take your eyes off the road for even a second, but it's not overly surprising that so many teens continue to drive distracted. After all, we live in a world where there's always a status to update, a Tweet to type or a text to check. And when that ding goes off on your phone, it's hard to ignore — even when you're cruising at 50 miles per hour. "Today's teens are living in a world of social networking that is constantly being updated," says Dr. Jennifer Powell-Lunder, an adolescent psychologist based in New York City. "People fear they're going to miss out on something. It's impulsive, and very difficult to turn away from." Experts say that some teens are so compelled to check their cells — no matter where they are and what they're doing — that the behavior may even be considered an addiction. "Teens have become so used to being connected that they unconsciously need texts from their friends," says Dr. Michael Dow, a psychologist in Los Angeles. "They can't tolerate a moment of not doing it — it's an addictive behavior." And just like any other potential addiction, the behavior needs to be treated before it causes any major harm to yourself or others. Sure, there's no rehab to cure a texting obsession, but many people — both adults and kids — are making moves to ensure that teens stay safe on the roads. **Taking a Stand** For starters, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have banned driving while texting: Get caught and get slapped with a ticket, a fine or potential points on your driving record, which can make your insurance rates skyrocket or even cause you to lose your license all together. Not good. And then there are the efforts being made by kids like Jessica Anderson, 16, a sophomore at Belt High School in Montana who worked with Rep. Mike Milburn to help pass House Bill 238, creating Teen Driver Safety Day "We surveyed students at our school and found that 49 percent of our peers texted while driving on a regular basis," says Jessica. "We spoke to a transportation committee about the dangers of **//distracted driving//**. Now Montana recognizes the third Tuesday of each October as Teen Driving Safety Day." Another teen, Lindsay Rowley, was moved to action when her friend, Chris Gentile, was killed while driving distracted several years ago. He was only 18. "Chris and 1 were old friends. We worked at an ice cream shop together," she says. Six months after Lindsay started speaking about safe driving, two more of her friends died in a car accident. "There were too many people in the car. There was too much going on when they crashed. They didn't have to die." Lindsay travels from school to school, making her point hit home. "When I speak to assemblies, I ask students to look around and count 17 kids. Then I tell them that 17 teens die a night due to inexperience. I ask them, 'What would your prom or graduation be like without those friends?'" **Spreading the Word** Janae Tompkins, 16, from Sioux City, I11., asks herself that question each time she gets behind the wheel — her cousin nearly killed herself while driving to school a couple years ago. "Kelsey looked down to pick up her camera, and her car rolled eight times. It's amazing that she had only minor injuries [she was wearing her seat belt], but her car was totaled," she recalls. "If you're distracted for even two seconds, something bad can happen to you." Rachel Schall, 19, who goes to school with Janae, learned a similar lesson when she was in an accident. Now, she tells her friends that talking and texting just aren't that important. "You can wait. And if you can't, find a safe place to pull over before you pick up your phone." **No Safety in Numbers** Texting and cell calls aren't the only distraction dangers; for every additional passenger, the risks for a fatal accident increase dramatically. On Dec. 29, 2003, four boys in Indiana were driving too fast and took a 90-degree turn only to wind up dead. Jordyn Henson, a senior at the boys' high school, believes distraction played a huge part in the fatal crash. She feels so strongly about the issue that she joined Project Ignition, which raises awareness about driving safety. "At my school, 21 people have been killed in car accidents since the 1970s. Last year was the first year [no one was hurt in an accident]. We're the first class not to have a crash or fatality," says Jordyn. "There's no way to tell whether or not it's because we're raising awareness, but there's a good chance that's the case." **Road Rules** School-based initiatives like Project Ignition are great ways to spread the word about the dangers of **//distracted driving//**. But you can take even simpler steps to ensure driving safety, whether you're the driver or the passenger. And how to go about doing just that? Follow the lead of teen driver Destiny Rochford, 17, of Three Forks, Mont. She gives herself strict road rules. "First, I never mess with the radio, even if I don't like the song. I'll wait 'til a stop sign to change the dial. Second, I demand seat belt usage. I tell my friends, 'If you don't buckle up, this car's not going anywhere.' Finally, I never ever pick up my cell phone so that I can focus on the one thing I'm supposed to be doing: driving. No call or text is worth a life." 636,000 traffic accidents occur each year as a result of talking on a cell phone or driving distracted in some way, resulting in 2,600 fatalities and 330,000 injuries 49 percent of our peers texted while driving on a regular basis
 * 83** 83 percent of respondents in a recent study favor making driving while texting against the law; 40 percent favor keeping it legal if there are safer alternatives like voice-activated texting

Mar. 30--With prom season under way and graduation on its way, area school districts are taking a variety of measures to prevent students from drinking and **//driving//**. At Booker T. Washington High School's prom May 1, security officials will check to ensure that students haven't been drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, Principal James Furch said. "It's not safe to drink and drive, especially **//while//** under age," he said. Rhameil Sampson, a senior at the school, said he may attend the prom alone or with a friend. Either way, he won't drink alcohol. "I'll be too busy hitting the dance floor," said Sampson, 18, who believes the music and comparing outfits are the highlights of the night. "I want to see everyone dressed up and having a good time." Tami Marler, a Tulsa Public Schools spokeswoman, said students in possession or under the influence of drugs or alcohol must attend in-school intervention and attend drug or alcohol counseling. Schools take those measures and others to prevent students from becoming another accident statistic during prom season. In 2007, youths ages 16 to 20 were involved in 1,170 alcohol-related crashes during April through June, the months between prom and graduation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2008, Oklahoma recorded 244 alcohol-impaired **//fatalities//**, including 137 drivers between ages 15 to 20, the agency reported. Alcohol-related automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for this age group, the agency said. Jenks High School's annual pre-prom event on Wednesday included several exhibits by Jenks police, the Emergency Medical Services Authority, Tulsa Life Flight, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and a Glenpool funeral home. The OHP displayed graphic pictures of car collisions, and EMSA explained how to treat alcohol poisoning. Jenks Principal Mike Means said he believes the occasion brought the realities of drunken **//driving//** to life. Sarah Groesbeck, a Jenks student who attended the school's prom Saturday, said the earlier event demonstrated the hazards of drinking and **//driving//**. "It's very important not to drink and drive," she said. Some area schools are taking precautions to combat graduation drinking by having all-night, parent-chaperoned, non-alcoholic graduation parties. Booker T. Washington High School's Flight Night will be on the night of the school's graduation, June 3, and will feature several activities and games, Furch said. Jenks will have Gradfest, an all-night celebration following graduation May 17. It will feature a hypnotist. Collinsville Principal Jon Coleman said the school recently had a member of Narconon, a drug education organization, speak to students about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. The assembly included descriptions of what the drugs do to the body, chemically and physically, and reasons why conscious decisions can't always be made. Brandi Green, 17, who attended the assembly, said she knew how much trouble drinking causes. "I know people who have been issued **//Driving//** Under the Influence citations, which can mess up your life," she said. Green said that when she and her boyfriend of two years attend her senior prom April 10, she won't consume alcohol. "I don't drink," she said. "I can't stand the smell of alcohol."
 * __ 3) __**

In 2007, youths ages 16 to 20 were involved in 1,170 alcohol-related crashes during April through June, the months between prom and graduation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2008, Oklahoma recorded 244 alcohol-impaired **//fatalities//**, including 137 drivers between ages 15 to 20, the agency reported. Alcohol-related automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for this age

In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21St Century funded a series of highway safety programs. These safety programs, administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), increased funding to the states to improve highway safety through activities designed to encourage, among other things, the use of seat belts and child passenger seats and to prevent **//drinking//** and **//driving//**. The states implement these activities through a "performance-based" approach under which they establish highway safety goals and initiate projects to help reach those goals. NHTSA reviews the goals and provides oversight to the state highway safety programs. GAO was asked to provide trend data on highway safety, determine how much highway safety funding was provided and how the states used the funds, and review NHTSA's oversight of highway safety programs. **//While//** the annual number of traffic **//fatalities//** has declined since the 1970s, it has stayed fairly level since 1995, at about 41,900 per year. **//Fatality//** rates per miles traveled have also continued to decline, but the bulk of this decline occurred between 1982 and 1992. In addition, the number of alcohol-related **//fatalities//** declined from about 26,000 in 1982 to about 17,400 in 2001. However, alcohol-related **//fatalities//** rose in 2000 and 2001. About $2 billion has been provided over the last 5 years for highway safety programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21St Century. About $729 million went to the core highway safety program, Section 402, to carry out traffic safety programs designed to influence drivers' behavior in such areas as seat belt use, alcohol-impaired **//driving//**, and speeding. About $936 million went to seven incentive programs designed to encourage state efforts to improve seat-belt use, reduce drunk **//driving//**, and improve highway safety data. About $361 million was transferred from highway construction to highway safety programs under provisions that penalized states that had not passed repeat offender or open container laws to reduce drunk **//driving//**. Of the incentive and transfer funds, most were used for behavioral programs, but about $395 million was used for highway construction programs. Under the performance-based approach, NHTSA provides advice, training and technical assistance to the states, which are responsible for setting and achieving highway safety goals. NHTSA also provides oversight through management reviews and improvement plans intended to help ensure that the states are operating within guidelines and achieving the desired results. However NHTSA's regional offices have made inconsistent use of management reviews and limited and inconsistent use of improvement plans because NHTSA's guidance to the regional offices does not specify when to use them. As a result, NHTSA's efforts to work with the states may not be fully realized.
 * //__ 4) __//**

5)From 1975 through 2002, annual traffic **//fatalities//** decreased from 44,525 to 42,850, **//while//** the rate of **//fatalities//** per 100 million vehicle miles traveled decreased from 3.35 to 1.51. However, decreases in **//fatalities//** have leveled off since the early 1990s. Since 1999, the number of alcohol-related **//fatalities//** has risen. In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century funded a series of highway safety programs. These programs, administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), increased funding to the states for activities designed to encourage, among other things, the use of seat belts and to prevent **//drinking//** and driving. The states establish highway safety goals and initiate projects to help reach those goals. NHTSA provides advice, training, and technical assistance to states and can use management reviews and improvement plans as tools to help monitor and strengthen the states' performance. This testimony is based on two recent GAO reports that discuss the causes of motor vehicle crashes and related research, provide highway saftey trend data and information on federal highway safety funds and the states' uses of those funds, and review NHTSA's oversight of state highway safety programs. Most motor vehicle crashes have multiple causes. Experts and studies have identified three categories of factors that contribute to crashes--human, roadway environment, and vehicle factors. Human factors involve the driver's actions (**//speeding//** and violating traffic laws) or condition (effects of alcohol or drugs, inattention, decision errors, and age). Roadway environment factors include the design of the roadway, roadside hazards, and roadway conditions. Vehicle factors include any failures in the vehicle or its design. Human factors are generally seen as contributing most often to crashes, followed by roadway environment and vehicle factors. To improve highway safety through programs that primarily address the human factors that contribute to traffic crashes and **//fatalities//**, about $2 billion was provided to states over the last 5 years for highway safety programs under the act. About $729 million was provided under Section 402, the core highway safety program, and about $936 million was provided through seven incentive programs, mainly for efforts to influence driver behavior. Another $361 million was transferred from state highway construction to state highway safety programs under provisions that penalized states for not complying with federal requirements for passing laws to reduce **//drinking//** and driving. GAO found that NHTSA's oversight of state highway programs could be improved. NHTSA regional offices have made inconsistent use of management reviews and improvement plans because NHTSA's guidance does not specify when to use them. As a result, some states do not have improvement plans, even though their alcohol-related **//fatality//** rates have increased or their seat-belt usage rates have declined. Without improvement plans NHTSA may not fully realize its goals in working with the states to improve highway safety. GAO recommended in an April 2003 report that NHTSA provide guidance to its regional offices on when it is appropriate to use these oversight tools. NHTSA is taking steps to improve this guidance.

Drivers seem pretty comfortable chatting on their cell phones while navigating the streets. But brain researchers say it's a terrible idea, even with a hands-free device. "If you're driving while cell-phoning, then your performance is going to be as poor as if you were legally drunk," says David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. "If you test people while they're texting or talking on the phone, they will actually miss a lot of things that are in their visual periphery," says Earl Miller, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Driving requires a surprising amount of brain power. Out on the road, we have to process huge amounts of visual information, predict the actions of other drivers and coordinate precise movements of our hands and feet. Even when using a hands-free device, scientists have found that talking on the phone distracts us to the point where we devote less brain power to focusing on the road. Marcel Just, a neuroscientist at Carnegie Mellon University, says that's why people learning to drive don't do anything else. "Novice drivers turn off the radio, they ask you not to talk to them. They need all the brain participation they can get for the driving," Just says. But the level of focus required changes with experience. Over time, the brain rewires itself to do the tasks involved in driving. So when our eyes see a red light, our foot hits the brake, with no conscious thought involved. Just says driving becomes automatic. "You find yourself arriving at some destination and not remembering much about the trip. I sometimes find myself passing a car without remembering that I decided to pass. So I don't know much about my own (automatic) driving," Just says. Scientists call this phenomenon "automaticity." It lets us do one thing while focusing on something else. In other words, learning to do one task automatically helps us to multitask. If the brain is so good at this, why not chat on the cell phone while driving? To answer that question, we could have tested the limits of an actual driver in actual traffic. That seemed like a bad idea. So we came up with a demonstration that's a bit more refined. We brought a professional pianist into the studios here at NPR. A musician like Jacob Frasch has a lot in common with an experienced driver. Both can do a complex task that has become automatic while carrying on a simple conversation. For over an hour, we tasked Frasch with playing a range of pieces, some he knew and some he had to sight-read. While he was playing, we asked him to multitask. Sometimes the additional work was simple. For instance, Frasch has no trouble talking about his childhood while playing a Bach minuet. But when the challenges took more brain power, it was tougher for Frasch to answer questions and play the piano at the same time. Just says there's a lot going on in the pianist's brain. Several circuits are busy decoding and producing language. And that's only the beginning. "There's a network of areas dealing with the music. Certainly, auditory cortex — again, very importantly, motor control of his hands and fingers while he's playing. Areas associated with music processing in the right hemisphere behind the right ear, roughly speaking," Just says. Back in the studio, our pianist was multitasking up a storm. But his brain was working near capacity. So, we decided to see what would happen if we increased his task load — just a little. We asked Frasch to play a Brahms piece he knows by heart, while reading from a magazine article that we placed in front of him. Neuroscience studies using brain scans have shown that the brain struggles with paying attention to sights and sounds simultaneously. When the brain starts working on a visual task, its auditory parts show decreased activity, and vice versa. Indeed, while his fingers sounded out Brahms, Frasch stumbled on some words in the magazine article, but recovered nicely — like a driver on a cell phone who drifts into another lane for a moment. So we took it up another notch. We gave Frasch a piece of music he'd never seen before, a fast-tempo number. While he was sight-reading, like a driver navigating an unfamiliar route through a big city, we asked him to do a math problem: "What's 73 minus 21?" Frasch played on while he thought through the problem out loud. He hit a few wrong notes on the keyboard before coming up with the right answer: 52. A multitasking driver might have hit something else. Just says the pianist, who was already working hard to follow the music, simply couldn't handle something else that required real thinking. It's like driving on an unfamiliar road and getting a cell phone call from an angry spouse. You may not notice that stalled car up ahead. In fact, driver inattention is involved in about 80 percent of crashes, according to a 2006 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study found the most common distraction for drivers was use of cell phones — with the number of crashes attributable to dialing nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. "People say when an accident is happening, you have these phenomenological reports. People say 'my life flashed in front of me, time seemed to slow down' and so on and so forth. And I think that those are manifestations of your brain very suddenly attempting to change modes, from the automatic to some very controlled strategic mode," Just says. Switching modes takes time — maybe only a quarter of a second. But on the freeway, that means you've gone an extra 20 feet before you hit the brake.
 * Drivers' Brains On Cell Phones**
 * Pushing The Brain — Concerts And Conversation**
 * Brain Overload, Something's Gotta Give**

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=Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics= Data regarding car accidents involving cell phone use and/or texting while driving has been limited in the past, but it's slowly becoming available to the public. The information on this page reflects the most current 2007 and 2008 statistics regarding [|cell phone usage and text messaging] during car accidents. While the popularity of mobile phones has grown enormously in the past two decades, it's still unclear how greatly cell phone calls and texting contribute to [|car crashes]. What is clear is that talking on the phone and texting behind the wheel both lead to distraction, and driver inattention is the [|leading cause of car accidents]. In 2008, at any given moment, over 800,000 Americans were texting, making calls, or using a handheld cell phone while driving during the daytime. With distracted driving killing nearly 6,000 Americans in the same year, it's no mystery that cell phone use is risky for drivers.

Teen Driver Cell Phone and Texting Statistics

 * Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore [|cell phone driving restrictions].
 * Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old.
 * 56% of teenagers admit to talking on their cell phones behind the wheel, while 13% admit to texting while driving. //(Note: Because this information was given voluntarily by teens, actual cell phone use numbers may be much higher.)//
 * 48% of young Americans from 12-17 say they've been in a car while the driver was texting.
 * 52% of 16- and 17-year-old teen drivers confess to making and answering cell phone calls on the road. 34% admit to text messaging while driving.
 * In 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
 * Over 60% of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to [|text messaging behind the wheel].
 * Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
 * Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are [|texting while driving].
 * Over one-third of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, are texting on the road.
 * Teens say that texting is their number one [|driver distraction].

Cell Phones, Text Messaging, and Car Accident Information for All Drivers

 * Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
 * One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States [|send text messages while driving].
 * In 2008 almost 6,000 people were killed and a half-million were injured in crashes related to driver distraction.
 * At any given time during daylight hours in 2008, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone.
 * 4 out of every 5 accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers. In contrast, drunk drivers account for roughly 1 out of 3 (33%) of all accidents nationally.
 * Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than [|driving while intoxicated].
 * People who text while driving are 23% more likely to be in a car accident.
 * A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that of 1,200 surveyed drivers, 73% talk on cell phones while driving. The same 2007 survey found that 19% of motorists say they text message while driving.
 * In 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 10% of drivers are on handheld or hands free cell phones at any given hour of the day.
 * A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists found that motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
 * In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
 * According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, drivers talking on cell phones are 18% slower to react to brake lights. They also take 17% longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked
 * Of cell phone users that were surveyed, 85% said they use their phones occasionally when driving, 30% use their phones while driving on the highway, and 27% use them during half or more of the trips they take.
 * 84% of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
 * The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the most [|dangerous behaviors] that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
 * The number of crashes and near-crashes linked to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
 * Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

Study Reveals the Dangers of Texting While Driving
The following statistics come from a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI):
 * Of all cell phone related tasks - including talking, dialing, or reaching for the phone - texting while driving is the most dangerous.
 * Teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near crash events directly related to talking on a cell phone or texting.
 * A car driver dialing a cell phone is 2.8 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-distracted driver.
 * A driver reaching for a cell phone or any other electronic device is 1.4 times more likely to experience a car crash.
 * A car driver talking on their phone is 1.3 times more likely to get into an accident.
 * A truck driver [|texting while driving] is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road.
 * A truck driver dialing a cell is 5.9 times more likely to crash.
 * A trucker reaching for a phone or other device is 6.7 times more likely to experience a truck accident.
 * For every 6 seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks.

Pennsylvania Cell Phone Car Crash Stats
In Pennsylvania, although there are [|no laws] regarding talking on the cell or sending text messages while driving, there are emerging statistics that show the connection between cell phone use and car wrecks.
 * In Pennsylvania, there were 1,298 cell phone related accidents in 2008. Of those accidents, 9 resulted in death.
 * In 2007, 1,093 cell phone related car crashes occurred in Pennsylvania. Of those crashes, 6 were fatal.
 * From 2003 to 2006, [|car accidents from cell phone use] lead to 50 deaths across the state of Pennsylvania.
 * Cell phone-related car accidents shot up 43% in western Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2006.
 * In 2006, cell phones caused 241 car accidents in western PA.
 * According to PennDOT, from 2002 to 2006 there were 5,715 car accidents linked to the use of handheld cell phones in PA.
 * PennDOT also reports 367 accidents in the same time period involving hands free cell phones or Bluetooth communication devices.
 * In 2004 alone, handheld cell phone use contributed to over 1,170 [|Pennsylvania car crashes].
 * Accidents involving talking or texting on a cell phone rose from 168 in 2003 to 228 in 2005 in the Western
 * Pennsylvania region. That’s a 36 % increase in over two years.

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