Adults tie teens in texting, driving

Adults are just as likely to text message while driving as teenagers, according to a new national survey.

“Adults may be the ones sounding the alarm on the dangers of distracted driving, but they don’t always set the best example themselves,” said Mary Madden of the Pew Research Center.

The finding contradicts the widely held belief that texting and driving is primarily a problem with teens. The Pew report on distracted driving does show, however, that young adults (ages 18 to 34) are the most likely to text and drive, by far (59 percent).

More than a quarter of U.S. adults (27 percent) admit to texting while behind the wheel, Pew reports. Texting teens posted almost identical numbers (26 percent).

Police say texting and driving is more dangerous for teens, who have far less experience behind the wheel than adults. At any age, texting and operating a motor vehicle has been found to dramatically increase the chances of an accident.

Adults who say then have driven while on a cell phone clearly outpace teenagers, the distracted driving poll found. 61 percent of adults said they used a mobile phone while driving, vs. 43 percent of teenagers (ages 16, 17).

Nine in 10 members of Generation X (34-45 years old) who own cell phones report that they talk and drive. Seniors come in at 50 percent.

Adults 18-33 are the most likely to admit they text while driving (59 percent) compared with age groups 34-45 (50 percent) and 46-64 (29 percent).

More findings from the Pew study:

• Almost half of all adults and teens say they have been passengers in a vehicle when the driver was text messaging.
• 44 percent of adults say they’ve been in a vehicle when the driver used a cell phone in a dangerous way. 40 percent of the teens said they had. This figure decreases dramatically with age.
• Pew says 14 percent of adult drivers have run into something or someone while talking or texting.
• Men are more likely than women to admit texting while behind the wheel (51 percent of men who use text messaging devices vs. 42 percent of women).
• 82 percent of adults have cell phones. 58% text message on their mobile phones.

Telephone interviews were conducted with 2,252 adult drivers in late May and early April. Numbers for teens came from earlier reports. Adults may be more reliable than teens in self-reporting their behaviors.

Another recent report found that states are increasingly fighting distracted driving.

Forty-three states are now collecting data on distraction as a factor in road and highway accidents. That compares with 17 in 2003, the Governors Highway Safety Association reports.

Twenty-seven states have written distracted driving provisions into their Strategic Highway Safety Plans. (That’s almost the same number of states that had adopted laws on texting and talking while behind the wheel.) The SHSPs reflect priorities and programs in departments of transportation and motor vehicles, as well as safety programs.

Thirty-seven states have launched public information campaigns to warn of the hazards of distracted driving.

Teens, texting at night a deadly duo

U.S. teenagers’ most dangerous move behind the wheel? Not speeding, not drinking, not racing. It’s simply driving after dark, according to a new study of highway fatalities.

From 1999 to 2008, the proportion of fatal crashes at night involving teen drivers increased 10 percent, according to a study released May 6 by the Texas Transportation Institute. Fatalities involving all drivers fell during those 10 years.

Most of the blame for the teen spike should go to use of cell phones and texting devices, researchers speculate.

“We know driving at night is dangerous,” said Bernie Fette of the Texas Transportation Institute. “We know using a cell phone behind the wheel compromises your ability to drive. Put those together and you’ve created a perfect storm (for highway fatalities).”

Teens die in distracted driving accidents more often than any other group of drivers.

In 1999, nighttime crashes accounted for 45 percent of fatalities linked to the 16 to 19 age group. In 2008, that rose to 50 percent.

After nighttime driving, the fatality factors for drivers 16 to 19 years old were speed, distractions, failure to buckle up and drinking, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.

While almost all teens understand that drinking and driving costs lives, very few were aware that motoring at night was a separate risk factor, the study said, citing a survey of Texas teens.

The researchers also cited teen driver fatigue as a likely contributor to these fatality numbers. The nationwide data did not track cell phones or fatigue, however.

The researchers pointed to the dramatic increase in use of handheld electronic devices behind the wheel as the basis for their conclusion on distracted driving.

Several state legislatures in 2010 have considered plans to increase the restrictions on young drivers with restricted licenses. Some states ban cell phone use for teen drivers, period (handheld or hands free).

The percentage of night-driving fatalities also was up (8 percent) for adults, but the researchers felt alcohol use probably was the main contributor to that rise.

Overall, fatalities fell about 11 percent in the 10-year period, according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The increased proportion of nighttime fatalities is what alarmed the researchers, who are based at Texas A&M.

The distracted driving dictionary

Like all social issues, distracted driving has a unique terminology that’s used by those involved in the conversation — legislators, police, activists, researchers and so on. Here, in context, are some of the key words and phrases used in the national debate over distracted driving:

Distracted driving: Covers a wide range of activities that draw away a driver’s attention from the road. Bills that seek bans on handheld cell phones and text messaging devices typically are classified as distracted driving legislation. In a broader sense, activities such as putting on makeup, operating a radio, using a GPS system, reading, wrangling kids and animals also classified as distractions to drivers.

Driving contract/pledge: An agreement between parents and teens outlining acceptable in-car behavior such as: no texting while driving, only emergency phone calls while driving (using hands-free attachment), only one passenger, no driving after 11 p.m.

DWD: Driving while distracted.

DWT: Driving while texting. See “Intexticated.”

FocusDriven: Advocacy group that seeks to end the use of cellular devices by drivers. The board is comprised of family members who lost children and other loved ones to accidents caused by drivers using cell phones.

GPS: Global positioning system. Use occasionally banned for drivers along with text messaging and chatting on cell phones. More typically, GPS use is allowed under distracted driving laws and legislation.

Handheld: Description of personal electronic devices requiring the use of one of two hands. A person holding a handheld cell phone typically takes one hand off the wheel in order to talk and drive. With text messaging, drivers often use both hands to send messages, using their forearms or knees to steer the vehicle. Laws and legislation typically use the term to differentiate from electronic devices that are built into the vehicle (such as a radio), or portable devices equipped with hands-free attachments such as Bluetooth headsets.

Hands free: Description of personal electronic device that requires no use of the hands. Most often used in connection with mobile phones that have been equipped with hands-free accessories such as a wire headset or Bluetooth headset. Some add-ons to cell phones allow drivers to dial by voice or to write text messages.

Intexticated: Slang for driving and texting behaviors such as weaving that are similar to those exhibited by drunken motorists. Some researchers say drivers perform better while intoxicated than while text messaging.

No Phone Zone: Safety campaign launched by talk show host Oprah Winfrey in January 2010. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” viewers are urged to sign a pledge not to engage in distracted driving behaviors such as texting or using handheld cell phones. In its first four months, the Oprah online sign-up page drew 325,000 pledges. Winfrey has hosted two specials on distracted driving, including one in which a governor signed a texting ban into law.

Primary enforcement: Lawmakers and police use this term to signify traffic offenses for which drivers can be stopped and cited. With “secondary enforcement,” law officers need another reason to pull over the drivers, such as speeding. Primary vs. secondary is a key dynamic in distracted driving legislation. In general, secondary enforcement is seen as a watered down approach to restricting drivers’ use of cell phones and text messaging devices. Some safety-conscious lawmakers have agreed to secondary enforcement in order to get distracted driving legislation on the books. In a few other cases, legislators have upgraded bills from secondary to primary in order to give the legislation teeth. And some states, notably Washington in 2010, have revisited their distracted driving laws in order to move from secondary to primary enforcement.

Secondary enforcement: Means police need another reason to stop and cite motorists who are in violation of a law such as a ban on texting. A ticket then can be issued for the secondary infraction. See “Primary enforcement.”

Want to add a term? Great! Use the comments feature below.

NSC looks inside ‘distracted brain’

Drivers talking on cell phones often enter a state of “inattention blindness” in which they fail to see up to 50 percent of what’s ahead of them, according to a new report from the National Safety Council.

The NSC once again makes the case against driving and using cell phones — including those with hands-free devices — this time backed by about 30 research studies. The NSC estimates that 25 percent of the U.S. crashes in 2008 involved cell phone use.

“Driver distractions have joined alcohol and speeding as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes,” the NSC said.

The white paper is called “Understanding the Distracted Brain.”

The NSC report maintains there is no such thing as “multitasking,” and that activities such as driving and talking on a phone require the brain to switch back and forth between these tasks. Researchers say there is a “reaction-time switching cost,” in which the brain changes its focus.

With cell phones and driving, “two usually unrelated activities become interrelated when a person is behind the wheel. These tasks compete for our brain’s information processing resources. There are limits to our mental workload.”

This likely explains the University of Utah study that found drunken drivers were better at reacting to traffic events than those who were on cell phones.

The NSC concludes, in part: “We know from other traffic safety issues — impaired driving, safety belts, speeding -– that consistent enforcement of laws is the single most important effective strategy in changing behavior.

“Education, policies, laws and technology must address the prevention of both handheld and hands-free cell phone use by drivers.”

Read the National Safety Council white paper (PDF).

Report: Urban areas best served by bans

Bans on handheld phones do work, and they work best in urban areas, according to a new study of traffic fatalities and injuries.

A University of Illinois team looked at New York state in the years before and after its 2001 ban on handheld cell phones.

All 62 counties in New York recorded lower motor vehicle injury rates after the ban, while 46 posted lower traffic fatalities — 10 of them at statistically significant levels.

When looking at three major population centers — the Bronx, New York and Queens — the personal injury decrease was more notable than in less populated counties.

“Hand-held cell phone bans are very valuable in high-density urban areas, but less so in lower-density rural areas,” said computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson. “But that doesn’t mean they have no impact in rural areas. It just means that such legislation is less likely to have an impact on driver accident rates.”

The Illinois study comes on the heels of an insurance-industry report that concluded handheld cell phone bans had little value. That study looked at collision claims following New York’s ban and found reductions, but dismissed them as part of a downward trend also found in neighboring states.

That widely publicized study by the Highway Loss Data Institute did not account for vehicles over 3 years old and did not include cell phone-related accidents in which claims were not filed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called the study “irresponsible.”

Jacobson, who relied on publicly available data on fatalities and injuries per numbers of licensed drivers, said availability of insurance industry data on property damage would improve the reliability of his results.

Still, “All the evidence suggests handheld cell phone bans while driving are a good thing, and this is more evidence to that effect,” he said. “But it doesn’t establish it definitively. There’s still more work to be done.”

NSC talks tough on cell phone bans

The National Safety Council wants a total ban on cell phone use while driving, regardless of whether a hands-free accessory is in the loop.

The 94-year-old safety group made national headlines in mid-January with its cell phone-ban initiative, which recommends laws that are more restrictive than almost all of those under consideration or adopted by the states. Almost all legislation allows for hands-free cell phone use.

“It’s time to take the cell phone away,” NSC president Janet Froetscher said.

The NSC plans to lobby the individual states as well as private businesses. It has sent letters to state governors and key legislators in favor of statewide cell phone bans for motorists.

Many state legislators are resistant to cell phone bills that allow for hands-free use, although text-messaging prohibitions seem to be an easier sell in the current legislative season. Legislation that calls for a total ban on motorists’ use of cell phones typically is designed to later add the hands-free provision as a compromise with opponents of the bill.

“Employers understand how dangerous the behavior is and their potential liability,” Froetscher said. “We are asking all businesses to join us by adopting policies banning calling and texting while driving on the job.”

The NSC plans to step up education efforts about the dangers of distracted driving. It cited the famous 2006 University of Utah study that found on-the-road cell phone use was as bad as drunken driving.

The group points to its past success with seat belts as proof that important auto safety initiatives can be successful over the long term.

“There will be a day when we look back and wonder how we could have been so reckless with our cell phones and texting devices,” Froetscher said.

In October, the NSC came out with guidelines for state teenage driver policies, which include no use of cell phones or text-messaging devices.

Update: Not surprisingly, the emerging hands-free device industry is alarmed by the prospect of a total ban on cell phones while behind the wheel.

Parrot Inc., which calls itself the largest manufacturer of hands-free car kits, conducted a poll of U.S. adults that showed two-thirds of them would retaliate against legislators who voted for a total ban on cell phones while driving. Almost 85% of drivers aged 18-34 felt people would vote out the lawmakers.

And the pollsters found that 46% of the respondents would not support a ban on “true, voice-activated hands-free systems.”

The hands-free poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive, with 2,491 participants. As with any vested-interest poll, it should be taken with a grain or two of salt. (Parrot did not provide the poll questions’ wording.)

“Ultimately, the survey results mirror Parrot’s beliefs,” said Christian Coly, director of technology at Parrot.

Cell phone safety: Bet you didn’t know …

Cell phone safety would seem largely a matter of common sense. Pay attention, watch the road and you’ll arrive safely.

But researchers who have been studying cell phone-related accidents since the 1990s say there are some surprising ways in which wireless phones endanger drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

For example, the simple act of talking on a cell phone actually decreases the quality of visual information received and processed by the brain. Talk more and you see less!

State legislators are increasingly mandating hands-free cell phone use for drivers. Hands-free devices such as Bluetooth headphones can prevent accidents and save lives, but motorists need to be aware of how these hands-free accessories change the dynamics of driving and talking.

Handsfreeinfo.com, the distracted driving web site, has rounded up some key cell phone safety tips provided by traffic researchers and public safety groups. Here are 15 of the best:

Keep calls short: Drivers increasingly lose focus during lengthy cell phone calls, research shows. If you must use the mobile and the conversation lasts more than 5 minutes, hang up and call back once you’ve parked.

Get to know your phone: Fumbling through a cell phone’s menus while on the road can be extremely dangerous. Practice speed-dialing, redialing and routing calls to voice mail.

Compensate: Some studies equate cell phone driving with drunken driving. Others cite “instant aging” — that a 20-year-old’s reaction times are reduced to those of a 70-year-old’s. A University of Utah study found that when 18- to 25-year-olds were placed in a driving simulator and talked on a cellular phone, they reacted to brake lights from a car in front of them as slowly as 65- to 74-year-olds who were not using a cell phone. These are controversial findings, but everyone agrees that cell phone use impairs driving ability. Be aware that you’re not operating the motor vehicle at 100% of your ability. Compensate with extra caution.

Don’t look at caller ID: Most cell phones can be programmed to provide different ring tones for the people in your directory, such as family and friends.

Two things at a time: Many accidents are caused when cell-phoning drivers attempt to do other things — plugging in a power chord, fumbling for a pen, reading directions. Don’t compound the cell phone safety challenges.

Dial while stopped: If you must dial when the vehicle is in motion, hold the phone level with the windshield. Shift your eyes back and forth from the road to the cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says phone equipped with hands-free headsets and voice-activated dialing systems usually require more time to dial, increasing distractions.

Get an assist: Ask passengers to use their own mobile phones or to do the dialing on yours. Teach older children how to operate your cell phone and your GPS and navigation devices, if possible.

You’ve got voice mail: If a call comes in while you’re in an intersection, entering a freeway or engaged in similar activities, let voice mail answer the cell phone.

Curb your enthusiasm: Numerous studies link the emotional content of a conversation with the level of danger while driving. This also applies to complicated, frustrating or exciting topics. If you’re upset or confused, hang up or pull over in a safe spot.

That’s a stretch: Make sure the cell phone and any accessories such as a hands-free headset are close by while driving.

Just say no: Tom Magliozzi of the popular “Car Talk” radio show says, “For non-emergencies like saying hi — checking in — or making calls you could just as easily make from your home, your office or a parking lot — take our advice and drive now, talk later.” Studies suggest that cell phone users use 60% of their airtime while driving.

Now hear this: Wireless phones often switch from one transmitter station to another during a drive. This leads to varying levels of audio quality. If reception is poor, compensate for the distraction — or better yet, hang up and call back once parked.

Watch out: Researchers in Tokyo found that when attention is focused on listening, vision is affected. The brain can’t give full attention to the visual demands of driving and the audio demands of listening at the same time. Focus on watching the road.

Watch your speed: The Swedish National Road Administration reports that drivers wearing hands-free headsets drive faster than drivers who are holding cell phones. It’s also easy for your speed to creep up while you’re dialing.

Dial in shifts: If you must enter a phone number while driving, don’t do it all at once. Dial a few numbers, return your attention to the road, and then dial the other numbers.

The message: Most of the above applies to text messaging, an even more dangerous activity that’s outlawed for drivers in more than half of the U.S. states. It’s not just kids who are all thumbs: The portability of office-related data has made adults dedicated multitaskers (diverted drivers), text-messaging commuters trying to get a jump on the day’s tasks.

Drivers better off talking to passengers

Cell phone calls are far more distracting to drivers than chats with their passengers, a new study finds. The results apply to hand-held phones as well as those equipped with hands-free devices such as wireless headphones.

Researchers at the University of Utah examined the simulated driving patterns of 41 adults and their passenger friends, concluding that “the difference between a cell phone conversation and passenger conversation is due to the fact that the passenger is in the vehicle and knows what the traffic conditions are like, and they help the driver.” Most of the study subjects were young adults. (continued)

Graduate students demonstrate the driving simulator used at the University of Utah

“Friends don’t talk to their driving friends on cell phones,” researcher Frank Drews says.

Drivers using mobile phones drove much worse than motorists talking with passengers. The cell-phone users were more likely to drift in their lane, and kept a greater distance between their car and the car in front, signaling a lack of attention. They were four times more likely to miss pulling off the highway at a rest area specified by researchers.

Passenger conversation seemed not to affect performance.

The university has been active in research on cell phone use by drivers; its work includes the famous 1996 study that concluded motorists using cell phones are as bad at driving as drunks. The researchers maintain that both handheld cell phones and those with the hands-free devices are a hazard. They also concluded in another study that young adults using mobile phones exhibit reaction times as slow as those of seniors.

The new study also found that drivers tended to talk more when using the cell phone. This could be due to the drivers trying to control the conversation to mask the fact that they were distracted inattentive to the person on the other end of the line.

The Utah researchers did not address the affects of text messaging, a major national concern in recent months.

The Utah cell phone study first appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, dated Dec. 15.

Distracted driving dangers, up close

Cell phoning while driving is the best-known behavior categorized as distracted driving, but there are countless other dangerous things people routinely do behind the wheel.

The National Safety Council’s International Symposium on Distracted Driving, Oct. 14-17 in Arlington, Va., examines the problem with participants from the fields of transportation and safety, the auto business, science and government, among others.

“Distracted driving contributes to hundreds of thousands of injuries and deaths each year,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC’s president and CEO. “People who drive while talking on a cell phone, for instance, are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers who aren’t on cell phones.

“This symposium will accelerate critical conversations about how we can most effectively combat distracted driving as a national issue, drawing from a variety of perspectives to save lives,” Froetscher said.

The broad topic of distracted driving often enters legislatures’ debates on bills that seek to prohibit handheld phone use while driving. Behaviors such as applying makeup, reading newspapers, attending to young children and even watching videos are examples of distracting driving. “Will we ban these activities in vehicles as well?” cell phone law opponents often ask.

Sessions include “Understanding the Science of Distracted Driving,” “Legislature and Laws,” “Employer Policies” and “Technology.”

The symposium’s co-sponsor is Nationwide Insurance.

“It is high time to focus public attention on this serious and growing national problem,” said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of safety for Nationwide. “The symposium will yield information that may benefit everyone who drives.”