Saturday, January 10, 2009

Cell Phone Driving Same As Drunk

Research now shows

Several studies show cell phones are a leading cause of car crashes. It is estimated that cell phone distracted drivers are four times more likely to be in a car wreck.

According to a Harvard University study, cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year.

Car-Accidents.com has collected together cell phone related crash pictures! Driving while on a cell phone does seem to be a serious problem if those photos are any indication.

You probably see it every day: a driver chatting away on a cell phone and not paying attention to the vehicles or pedestrians around them. Perhaps you've even been involved in an auto accident resulting from a careless, inattentive driver who was talking on a cell phone.

Although the risk of accidents greatly increases when a driver is using a handheld phone, few states have enacted laws prohibiting individuals from using cell phones while driving.

In fact, across the U.S., only four states (California, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey) and the District of Columbia have enacted laws banning the use of a handheld cell phone while driving.

Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHIS) issued a report on the chilling link between cell phone use and the risk of vehicle accidents. The IHIS study revealed that drivers using cell phones are four times more likely to be involved in an injury-sustaining accident than individuals who do not use cell phones while driving. The study focused on drivers who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries suffered in vehicle accidents between April 2002 and July 2004.

An additional study which used cell phone billing records and interviews with crash victims to form the basis for its data, also found that generally, weather played a nearly non-existent role, and that there was no distinction between hands-free and hand-held cell phones.

Make the decision to put your cell phone away during driving time. A study in which both the participants and the scientists got sloshed has shown that motorists who talk on cell phones while driving are as impaired as drunk drivers.

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