By Michael Harrold
The advent of the smart phone has brought with it a deluge of texting and other distractive behavior while driving a vehicle. This is no longer confined to the young and restless – we see people of all ages, genders and backgrounds using phones when they should be driving.
SAFETY THREATS
Some startling figures:
· At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.
· 10 percent of fatal crashes, 18 percent of injury crashes and 16 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2014 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
· In 2014, 3,179 people were killed and an estimated 431,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
· Each day in the United States, at least eight people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.
These numbers are most likely higher as drivers involved in accidents may be reluctant to admit to driving distracted.