Last Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its 2011 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). The agency explains that
"at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000
drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while
driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. According to separate
NHTSA data, more than 3,300 people were killed in 2011 and 387,000 were
injured in crashes involving a distracted driver" (emphasis added). Read the agency's press release for more information.
Well, I do not know where all these figures come from [previous comment] but I have no doubt about the dumb-heads I am following daily, weaving from the mid-left lane to the grass side and when I eventually use my car horn to signal, the erratic behavior ceases forthwith. These are narrow winding country roads and if a truck or van came from the other way, there would be a very bad to fatal accident because of this cell phone addiction.
The worst one of these meanderers that I eventually passed was driving his van with his elbows and texting with both hands with his nose in the phone!
I concur with official version.
I was surprised recently to read that most distracted driving accidents were actually not caused by cell phones. The majority (62%) were from other reasons such as daydreaming or just not paying attention.
“A recent study by the Erie Insurance Group reveals you are five times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if you are lost in thought rather than if you are distracted by some type of electronic device.
The data looked at 65,000 accidents that occurred over the last two years and identified 10-percent as the result of some form of distracted driving. But 62-percent of crashes were believed to be related to daydreaming.
By comparison, only 12-percent of fatal accidents covered in the report were blamed on some type of mobile use.”