Car Accidents Due to Cell Phone Use

    ORLANDO, FL, April 12, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- According to a study released by the National Safety Council in January 2010, a staggering 28% of all car accidents in the United States are caused by drivers using cell phones. The vast majority of those crashes, 1.4 million annually, are caused by cell phone conversations, and 200,000 are blamed on text messaging, according to the report from the council, a nonprofit group recognized by congressional charter as a leader on safety in the United States.

Cell Phone and Car Accidents Statistics

The following statistics regarding cell phone use and driving are provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In 2008, at any given moment, over 800,000 Americans were texting, making calls, or using a handheld cell phone while driving during the daytime. Distracted driving was blamed for 6,000 car accident deaths that very same year. Other statistics include:

- Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents
- One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving
- In 2008 almost 6,000 people were killed and 500,000 were injured in crashes related to driver distraction
- In 2008, over 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone during daytime hours
- Four out of five accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers while drunk drivers account for roughly 1 out of 3 (33%) of all accidents in the U.S.
- Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.
- Drivers talking on cell phones are 18% slower to react to brake lights
- Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road

Teens and Cell Phone Use While Driving

The following statistics focus on teens and cell phone use while driving.

- Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old
- Fifty-six percent teenagers admit to talking on their cell phones behind the wheel, while 13% admit to texting while driving.
- Forty-eight percent of teens 12-17 say they've been in a car while the driver was texting
- Fifty-two percent 16- and 17-year-old teen drivers admit to making and answering cell phone calls on the road and 34% admit to text messaging while driving
- Every year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone use while driving; this number is expected to grow as much as 4% every year.

If you have been injured in a car accident in which the other driver was using a cell phone, please visit the website of the experienced Florida car accident attorneys at The Law Offices of Michael V. Barszcz, M.D., J.D. today at www.theMDJD.com.

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