U.S. drivers are far more likely than Europeans to drive while distracted by wireless communications devices such as cell phones, a trans-Atlantic study found. Almost 70 percent of U.S. drivers said they'd used a cell phone in the past 30 days, compared with 21 percent in the United Kingdom. The closest nation to the U.S. in cell phone & driving numbers was Portugal, with 60 percent of drivers admitting to the practice. Meanwhile, a new "teens and technology" survey finds that teens who own smartphones (such as the iPhone) access the Internet that way about half of the time, suggesting that their driving while computing is increasingly frequent. In Europe, use of handheld cell phones is … [Read more...]
OTS: Calif. cell phone deaths falling
March 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
California fatalities linked to handheld cell phone use fell by almost half following enactment of the state's ban on use of the wireless devices while driving, a new study indicates. In the two years following the July 2008 adoption of the distracted driving law, handheld cell phone driver deaths decreased 47 percent, the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) at the University of California, Berkeley, found. Similar reductions occurred in the number of injuries, as well as deaths associated with cell phone use with hands-free accessories, SafeTREC said. Overall, California traffic deaths fell 22 percent in the two-year period, compared with the two years before the … [Read more...]
Distracted pet owners warned of risks
August 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The safety hazards of unrestrained pets in motor vehicles were highlighted this week as a AAA study suggested that only 17 percent of dog owners restrain their animals in vehicles. Researchers warned of possible roadway "devastation" as a result. One in five of the dog owners surveyed said that while driving they allowed pets to sit in their laps. The AAA survey on pets said almost 60 percent of drivers who transport their dogs engaged in other distracted driving behaviors at the same time. In a bizarre coincidence, an L.A. plastic surgeon died in Malibu not long after Tweeting and texting about about his dog, which was unrestrained in the doctor's vehicle at the time of the crash. Frank … [Read more...]
Adults tie teens in texting, driving
June 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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 … [Read more...]
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