CHP Study: Cell Phones Number One Distraction Causing Crashes

(KFWB) 10.29.01, 1:55p --

Cell phones lead the list of motorist distractions that cause car crashes, according to a new study by the California Highway Patrol. The study says cell phones rank above adjusting the radio and being distracted by your kids as the reason many drivers get into crashes. The CHP report focused on the associated factors in collisions during the first half of this year. CHP officer Bill Preciado urges drivers to pay attention to the road.

"What you should be doing is driving because a traffic accident can happen in a split second. There's reaction time and all that's involved and anything you're doing will augment your reaction time out there," said Preciado.

The state legislature is studying whether to ban cell phone use in cars and has approved a bill requiring further study on the matter.

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), October 30, 2001

Answers

From article about a AAA study --

The AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety has released the results of a new study in which the group analyzed 26,000 traffic accidents to determine what factors contributed to those accidents. Among the top causes were: outside objects, persons, or events (19.7 percent of accidents surveyed); eating and drinking in the car (18.8 percent); adjusting the radio, cassette, or CD player (11.4 percent); and distractions caused by other occupants in the vehicle (9.4 percent).

The less significant causes listed by the survey were: moving objects in the vehicle (3.2 percent); using or dialing on a cell phone (1.5 percent); using other devices in a vehicle (1.4 percent); adjusting climate controls (1.2 percent), and smoking-related distractions (1.2 percent).

-- (GeraldM@yahoo.com), October 30, 2001.

Bullshit. These are people who do not like cell phones and want to see them all banned. They are the psychos who get all antsy when they hear one rign. What better way to ban them all..

-- (no@no.com), October 30, 2001.