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Accident Reconstruction News Article Motorists Claim Distractions Affect Their Driving LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2005--We've all experienced it -- you're behind a vehicle where the driver is on a cell phone at a red light signal. The light turns green and the driver in front of you continues to chat on the phone -- obviously more occupied with the conversation than with the road. In a new survey by the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, more than 80 percent of drivers admitted their competence behind the wheel suffers when they are subjected to distractions. Eighty three percent of respondents acknowledged their ability to concentrate on driving is compromised by such activities as eating or drinking, talking on their cell phones, adjusting their radios or CD players, etc. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted drivers are a factor in 25 to 50 percent of all vehicle crashes -- or between 4,000 and 8,000 crashes each day -- resulting in an estimated $40-$80 billion in damages annually. Distracted driving can take many forms: using a cell phone, adjusting the radio, talking to passengers, "rubbernecking," reading a map, cleaning the windshield, attending to children or pets, eating or drinking, picking things up off the floor and personal grooming are just some examples. "These distractions are a major concern, not only for those drivers but for pedestrians, bike riders, drivers and passengers in other vehicles," said Jeff Beyer, senior vice-president & chief communications officer for Farmers Insurance Group. "They all divert the driver's attention from the most important task at hand, which is to operate the vehicle safely." The number of motorists using hand-held cell phones has greatly increased driver distraction. A study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that talking on a mobile phone while driving quadruples the risk of an accident -- a rate similar to that of drunk driving. More than seven in ten (70.6 percent) of the respondents to the Farmers poll said motorists who use hand-held cell phones, read newspapers or operate in-dashboard computers while driving should be subject to a penalty or fine. And while 68.5 percent of the respondents to the Farmers survey felt that hands-free cell phones are safer than hand-held phones, it doesn't eliminate the distraction. "Hands-free phones aren't risk-free," Beyer pointed out. "The major distraction with mobile phones is the conversation and making and receiving phone calls, so drivers are similarly distracted whether they use a conventional cell phone or a hands-free device." In addition, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of those polled favored stricter driving rules for teens, advocating a limit to the number of passengers young drivers may carry. For teen drivers, distractions tend to produce tragic results with alarming fatality rates. The NHTSA found that 16-year-old drivers were 50 percent more likely to be killed when there is another passenger in the vehicle. That figure jumped to 200 percent when there were three or more passengers. Farmers Insurance offers the following tips to help prevent drivers from becoming distracted while operating a motor vehicle:
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies® is the nation's third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, the insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies® provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households through 17,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com. Contact: Source: Farmers Insurance Group of Companies ### |
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